Department for Transport

Railways: Tree Felling

Ben Lake: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many trees have been felled by Network Rail as part its lineside tree felling programme to date.

Andrew Jones: Network Rail does not have a lineside tree felling programme, however Network Rail does have a statutory duty to ensure that the railways remain safe and reliable for the millions of people who use the network every day. In the last year, there were more than a thousand incidents where trees caused disruption to the network, which in some cases resulted in injuries among train drivers and members of the public.

Railways: Tree Felling

Ben Lake: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many trees Network Rail plans to fell as part of its lineside tree felling programme up to the expected conclusion of that programme in 2024.

Andrew Jones: Network Rail does not have a dedicated lineside tree felling programme.

Railways: Tree Felling

Ben Lake: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many trees Network Rail are planning to replant to replace the loss of biodiversity resulting from its lineside tree felling programme.

Andrew Jones: Network Rail does not have a lineside tree felling programme. While Network Rail has carried out replanting, where appropriate, on individual projects, it does not hold central data on the number of trees replanted across its estate.

Railways: Tree Felling

Ben Lake: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessments Network Rail carry out to classify a lineside tree as safety critical.

Andrew Jones: Network Rail’s lineside engineers and surveyors consider a range of factors as part of their routine assessment of lineside trees, and whether these are considered safety critical or not. In the last year, there were more than a thousand incidents where trees caused disruption to the network, which in some cases resulted in injuries among train drivers and members of the public. Factors include the condition of the trees themselves, any identifiable hazards to oncoming trains and the safety risks associated with leaves on the line. This is in accordance with Network Rail’s own standards for vegetation management, which is based on existing forestry and environmental legislation.

Railways: Tree Felling

Ben Lake: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the independent review of Network Rail’s lineside vegetation management, published in November 2018, for what reasons Network Rail has felled trees during the nesting season.

Andrew Jones: Network Rail has a statutory duty to ensure that the railways remain safe throughout the year, and are therefore expected to intervene to address imminent safety risks or hazards that present themselves at the lineside, whenever this may be the case. As part of fulfilling this duty, Network Rail work with independent ecologists and arborists to identify nesting birds and protected species before commissioning any devegetation work, so that appropriate mitigation can be put in place to protect them and minimise disturbance.

Public Transport: Waste

Paul Girvan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to reduce (a) disposable and (b) non-recyclable waste on public transport services.

Andrew Jones: The government is committed to reducing the adverse environmental impacts of transport. Reducing plastic and non-recyclable waste on public transport is predominantly a matter for transport operators. However, the Department for Transport (DfT) encourages improvements. For example, DfT sets targets in rail franchise agreements for operators to reduce waste to landfill and to increase the proportion of waste that is recycled. Network Rail (NR) has installed drinking facilities in nine stations to reduce plastic waste and plans to introduce facilities to all other NR-managed stations. By the end of 2020, NR plans to ban retailers from supplying plastic cutlery and cups, implement a coffee cup recycling scheme, and expand the roll-out of coffee ground recycling to all NR-managed stations.

Aviation: Waste

Paul Girvan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to reduce (a) disposable and (b) non-recyclable waste on aviation services arriving to or departing from the UK.

Jesse Norman: The majority of airlines are privately owned and the responsibility of disposable and non-recyclable waste reduction on services arriving to and departing from the UK is a matter for the companies concerned.The Government has adopted a target of zero avoidable plastic waste by the end of 2042. The Aviation Strategy consultation paper highlights examples of best practice in waste reduction. As the Department continue to develop this strategy, it will be working with the aviation industry to help set out ambitions and share best practice to reduce levels of plastic waste produced by the sector still further, in order to ensure that the Government is able to achieve its 2042 goal.

Department for Transport: Former Ministers

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much his Department has paid to hon. Members under section 4 of the Ministerial and other Pensions and Salaries Act 1991 since 13 July 2016.

Jesse Norman: Section 4 of the Ministerial and other Pensions and Salaries Act 1991 sets out Ministers’ entitlement to severance payments. Any such payments are published in the Department’s audited annual accounts, and these accounts can be found on gov.uk.

Department for Transport: Brexit

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many staff in his Department who were transferred or seconded to work (a) in other departments or (b) on other departmental briefs on preparations for the UK to leave the EU, have since returned to his Department.

Jesse Norman: The Department has not historically collected information about the nature of work of members of staff on loan, transfer or secondment.Of the information that is available, as at 30th April 2019, there were 5 or fewer staff from the Department for Transport on active loan to the Department for Exiting the European Union who have since returned. However, the Department is unable to confirm the exact nature of work carried out.Due to the small number of instances, the exact figure is being withheld, as releasing this could lead to identification of individuals.To prepare for the UK to leave the EU, the Department has reviewed and reprioritised workforce plans. This includes identification and cessation of non-priority work where appropriate. These plans have remained flexible to respond to the resourcing needs for the Department as this has changed over time.The Department is not able to provide a figure on how many people within DfT have changed role, or the nature of how their work has changed, as a result of the Department’s preparations to leave the EU because this is not recorded in any HR systems.

Wind Power: Seas and Oceans

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the answer of 9 May 2019 to Question 249276, if he will provide the figures for the number of workers in the offshore wind sector transported by helicopter (a) to and (b) from wind farms on the UK continental shelf in each year for which there are records.

Jesse Norman: The Department does not hold the information requested.

Cycling: Schools

Mr Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to create safer cycling routes to schools.

Jesse Norman: The Government is investing around £2 billion in cycling and walking over this Parliament, which is enabling local authorities across England to fund a large number of cycling and walking schemes, including safer routes to schools. The Department for Transport is also providing £50 million for the Bikeability programme over the same period, which is helping to provide hundreds of thousands of schoolchildren each year with the skills they need to cycle safely on the road.

Driving: Licensing

Andrew Bridgen: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, in the event that a UK driving test is taken and failed before a 12 month international licence expires, whether that international licence is revoked in the UK.

Jesse Norman: In Great Britain, the law allows new residents with valid driving licences issued by countries outside the EU/European Economic Area (EEA) to drive for up to one year from the date they become a resident. Driver licensing is a devolved matter in Northern Ireland. In order to be able to take a driving test here, new residents must apply for a provisional GB licence. However, the law does not allow for their original, third country driving licence to be invalidated if they do not pass the test. This means they can continue to drive using the third country licence until the one year period expires. If a driver has not passed a test here within the one year period, they must then stop driving once this has elapsed. Although they can continue to drive as a GB provisional licence holder, provided that they adhere to the rules applying to provisional licences. Driving licences issued by EU and EEA member states are mutually recognised and can be exchanged without the need to take a test.

Road Traffic Offences: Insurance

Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate he has made of the number of (a) fatal crashes caused by uninsured drivers and (b) speed cameras activated by uninsured drivers in each of the last three years.

Jesse Norman: The Government does not hold data on either the insurance status of drivers involved in accidents or from speed cameras in relation to uninsured drivers.

Road Traffic Offences: Insurance

Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate he has made of the cost to the economy of road crashes resulting in (a) deaths and (b) serious injuries caused by uninsured drivers in the last three years.

Jesse Norman: The Department does not hold data on the specific costs of accidents caused by uninsured drivers.

British Transport Police: Finance

Greg Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what has been Transport for London's budget for the British Transport Police (a) each year since 2015 and (b) what that budget proposal is for (i) 2019-20, (ii) 2020-21 and (iii) 2021-22.

Andrew Jones: Transport for London’s budget for the British Transport Police is a matter for the Mayor of London to determine and the Department does not hold this data.

British Transport Police

Greg Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many British Transport Police officers there have been on the Transport for London network in each of the last five years; and how many of those officers are planned to work on the Transport for London network in (a) 2019 and (b) each of the next three years.

Andrew Jones: The table below shows the budgeted number of British Transport Police (BTP) police officers and Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs) funded by TfL for the TfL network. BTP reimburse TfL with funding for vacant posts throughout the year. YearPolice Officer budgeted TfL establishmentPCSO budgeted TfL establishment2015/167751412016/178131282017/188081262018/197601002019/20759.5100 The above data is at 1 April of each year. The data for the current year is subject to review. The policing resource for future years is subject to negotiation between TfL, BTP and the British Transport Police Authority (BTPA).

Railways: Fares

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether the cost of rail fares to the EU from the UK will be affected by the UK leaving the EU.

Chris Grayling: Fares for international passenger services between the UK and the EU are set by the relevant train operator on a commercial basis. Any potential change in fares is therefore a commercial matter for the operators concerned.

Large Goods Vehicles: Dover Port

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to reduce congestion of lorries going to the port of Dover after the UK leaves the EU.

Chris Grayling: The Government remains focused on ensuring the UK’s smooth and orderly withdrawal from the EU with a deal as soon as possible. As a responsible government, we’ve been preparing to minimise any disruption in the event of no deal for over two years. The Department for Transport has worked closely with the Kent Resilience Forum on developing plans, also known as Operation Brock, to be used as a contingency in the event of cross-Channel travel disruption at the Port of Dover and Eurotunnel, whatever the cause.   Operation Brock has been designed to ensure that the M20 will be kept open and traffic will continue to flow in both directions. It consists of three phases: a contraflow queuing system on the M20, between Junctions 8 and 9; temporary holding areas at Manston Airfield for Heavy Goods Vehicles (HGVs) heading to Europe via the Port of Dover; and, if necessary, temporary holding areas on the M26 (Brock M26) for HGVs heading to Europe via Eurotunnel. The M20 contraflow element will allow non-port traffic to continue to use the M20 in both directions when HGVs are stored on the coast-bound carriageway. The Government has also been taking steps to minimise the number of hauliers and other vehicles arriving at Dover and Eurotunnel without the essential documentation for EU border controls in a no deal scenario. This should help to reduce the risk of significant disruption at ports and on the Kent road network from the introduction of new EU customs processes.

Driver Vehicle Licensing Authority : Standards

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the performance of the Driver Vehicle Licensing Authority  since its operation was centralised in Swansea following the transfer of DVA services from Northern Ireland in July 2014.

Jesse Norman: No specific assessment has been made of the performance of the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) following the transfer of vehicle registration and licensing services from the Driver Vehicle Agency to the DVLA.The objective of centralisation was to ensure customers in Northern Ireland had access to the same services that were already available in GB. This includes providing customers in Northern Ireland with the facility to license their vehicles online or by telephone, as well as other online vehicle registration services.This has now been achieved. Motorists in Northern Ireland also now have access to a wider range of vehicle registration and licensing services at more than 175 Post Office branches.The centralisation also allowed other new services to be introduced, such as the opportunity for NI customers to purchase and retain personalised registration numbers and the facility for fleet operators in NI to use the DVLA’s fleet scheme.

Driving: Licensing

Sir Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the application for a driving licence by Anne Duggan, Ref: 36333622, when the DVLA plans to reach a decision on this  application; and if he will make a statement.

Jesse Norman: It would not be appropriate to discuss in public the details of an individual’s driving licence application. I have asked the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) to look into Ms Duggan’s case urgently.

Driving Tests: Bournemouth

Sir Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when the repairs at the Driving Test Centre in Gillam Road, Bournemouth are planned to be completed; and on what date that centre plans to reopen.

Jesse Norman: The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency is awaiting a surveyor’s report to establish what repairs need to be carried out to Bournemouth driving test centre (Gillam Road). It will make an assessment once the scope of the work required is clear.

Bus Services: Safety

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 14 January 2019 to Question 205992, what steps he has taken to encourage local authorities to require bus operators (a) Arriva, (b) Comfort DelGro and (c) RATP franchise to report their bus safety performance data on an annual basis.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: London bus services are the responsibility of Transport for London and the London Mayor who is responsible for all aspects of services including bus safety. Bus services outside London are deregulated and provided on a commercial basis by private operators. It is for individual local transport authorities in those areas to determine what powers in the Bus Services Act 2017 are used to address bus safety issues. For example, under a franchising scheme, bus operators could be required, by the franchising authority, to provide bus safety data at specified intervals.

Cycling and Walking: Pupils

Mr Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will implement a safe routes to school programme to promote cycling and walking to and from school.

Jesse Norman: The Department supports safe cycling and walking to school and has committed £50 million to the Bikeability cycle training programme and over £6m of funding for a range of outreach programmes including Walk to School between 2016/17 and 2019/20. Decisions on future funding for cycling and walking programmes will be made in the context of the forthcoming Spending Review.

Public Transport: Disability

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent steps he has taken to improve the accessibility of public transport for disabled passengers.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: The Government is committed to ensuring disabled people, including those with less visible disabilities such as autism, have the same access to transport and opportunities to travel as everyone else. In July 2018 the Department published the Inclusive Transport Strategy. Its ambition is to create a transport system that provides equal access for disabled people by 2030. It is ambitious and comprehensive, and sets a clear direction of travel, helping to create a society that works for all and will enable disabled people to travel confidently, easily and without extra cost.The Department is making good progress delivering the many commitments set out in the Strategy, and will be reporting to Parliament on this in the summer.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Minimum Wage: Young People

Hugh Gaffney: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent assessment he has made of the effect of the level of the National Minimum Wage on the income of people in employment aged under 18.

Kelly Tolhurst: This Government is committed to building an economy that works for everyone. Through the National Minimum Wage and the National Living Wage, the Government is ensuring that the lowest paid within our society benefit from their contribution to the economy. In April 2019, an above-inflation increase in the 16-17 year old National Minimum Wage saw 38,000 young workers receive a pay rise. The rate increased by 3.6% to £4.35 per hour. Since 2015, the National Minimum Wage for the 16-17 age group has increased by 12.4%. In the first quarter of 2019, the unemployment rate for 16-17 year olds was 19.2%, down from 28% in 2015. As noted by the Low Pay Commission in its 2018 report, for 16-17 year olds, the priority remains their effective entry into the labour market, as they are the most vulnerable age group in the labour market due to their relative lack of experience. In 2018, approximately 2,900 workers in Coatbridge, Chryston and Bellshill were on one of the minimum wage rates.

Renewable Energy: Cooperatives

Mr Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent steps his Department has taken to support communities to set up renewable energy co-operatives.

Chris Skidmore: I continue to believe that Community Energy remains an important part of the energy system, delivering energy efficiency and demand management, supporting switching and engaging the wider community on the key challenges of the energy transition and wider climate change as well as owning generation assets. Renewable Energy co-operatives are one of the business models that we support and was a key part of the criteria in a number of community initiatives and support mechanisms the department funded in the past. This will also be the case for the Rural Community Energy fund which will reopen at the end of this month and provide grants to community groups for feasibility studies and development of business cases for local energy projects. We also work closely with community networks like Community Energy England who manage the community energy hub which shares best practice, case studies and as part of that provides advice and support for the creation of community energy co-operatives.

Service Industries: UK Trade with EU

Angela Crawley: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent assessment he has made of the effect of the UK leaving the EU single market on the (a) strength of and (b) level of jobs in the UK service sector.

Andrew Stephenson: On 28 November 2018, Her Majesty's Government released a detailed economic assessment of the effect of multiple EU Exit scenarios on the strength of all parts of the UK economy, including the services sector.The Government works closely with the sector through the industry-led Professional and Business Services Council (PBSC). The Council is made up of representatives from the PBS sector, with a number of working groups focusing on important issues and opportunities for growth and employment in the sector.

Washing Machines: Waste Disposal

Scott Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of a washing machine scrappage scheme.

Kelly Tolhurst: The Government has no plans to introduce a scrappage scheme for washing machines. However, some retailers do offer a recycling scheme on a voluntary basis for old appliances including washing machines. Electrical Products must be safe when placed on the market and producers must keep consumers informed of risks and take appropriate action to avoid risks once they are in use.

Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps the Government is taking to reduce greenhouses gases to zero by 2050.

Chris Skidmore: The Government is convinced of the need for urgent action on climate change, which is why we asked the Committee on Climate Change (CCC) for advice last October on the implications of the Paris Agreement for the UK’s long-term emissions reduction targets, including on setting a net zero target. The CCC published their advice to Government on 2 May 2019. It sets out a path for the UK to become the first major economy to legislate to end our contribution to global warming entirely. We are studying the CCC’s comprehensive, ground-breaking report, and are committed to responding in due course.

Construction: Trading Standards

David Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what estimate he has made of the number of (a) rogue and (b) incompetent builders in the construction industry; and what steps his Department is taking to reduce that number.

Andrew Stephenson: Holding answer received on 20 May 2019



The Department has not made an estimate of the number of rogue and incompetent builders in the construction sector. However, the Government has endorsed the TrustMark scheme to reduce the number of rogue and incompetent builders; and to identify local traders who have undergone independent checks for both trade competence and good trading practice. This scheme gives consumers increased confidence and ability to choose registered businesses including builders who adhere to and maintain high standards. TrustMark is actively involved with Trading Standards to provide further protection to consumers affected by rogue builders. Where a company has committed a criminal breach of consumer law, Trading Standards can prosecute in the criminal court and the court can impose a fine or imprisonment for a serious offence.

Construction: Trading Standards

David Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what guidance his Department has issued to the public on identifying competent builders.

Kelly Tolhurst: Holding answer received on 20 May 2019



The Department has not issued guidance to consumers on identifying competent builders. However, the Government has endorsed the TrustMark scheme, which identifies local traders who have undergone independent checks for both trade competence and good trading practice. This scheme gives consumers increased confidence and ability to choose registered businesses including builders who adhere to and maintain high standards. Further information is available for consumers on the Citizens Advice website at: https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/consumer/get-more-help/find-a-trader-and-check-you-can-trust-them/. For free information on their rights and how to take a complaint forward, consumers should contact the Citizens Advice consumer service on 03454 04 05 06 (www.citizensadvice.org.uk/).

Consumers

David Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, when the Government plans to publish the White Paper on  modernising consumer markets.

Kelly Tolhurst: Holding answer received on 20 May 2019



The Government’s Consumer White Paper is due to be published later this year.

Consumers: Internet

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 30 April 2019 to Question 245672 on Consumers: Internet, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008 are fully enforced.

Kelly Tolhurst: Part 8 of the Enterprise Act 2008 provides for a number of enforcers, such as Trading Standards and the Competition and Markets Authority, to enforce consumer protection legislation, including the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008. Alleged breaches of legislation should be reported in the first instance through the Citizens Advice consumer service on 03454 04 05 06 (www.citizensadvice.org.uk/). The helpline will refer on alleged breaches of legislation to the relevant authority for appropriate enforcement action.

Females: Directors

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what estimate his Department has made of the number of women in senior roles at UK energy companies.

Kelly Tolhurst: Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Telecommunications and Utilities: Regulation

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the regulation of the (a) water, (b) energy and (c) telecoms sectors in promoting sustainability.

Kelly Tolhurst: We keep the effectiveness of our regulatory regimes under review. The National Audit Office also assesses regulation and regulatory outcomes. The Government has asked the National Infrastructure Commission to assess what changes might be necessary to the existing regulatory framework to facilitate future investment needs, promote greater competition and increase innovation, and meet the needs of both current and future consumers.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Israel: Palestinians

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what the Government's definition is of a two-state solution for Israel and Palestine; and what steps the Government plans to take to help achieve that solution.

Dr Andrew Murrison: The UK’s longstanding position on the Middle East Peace Process is clear: we support a negotiated settlement leading to a safe and secure Israel living alongside a viable and sovereign Palestinian state; based on 1967 borders with agreed land swaps, Jerusalem as the shared capital of both states, and a just, fair, agreed and realistic settlement for refugees. We consistently call for an immediate end to all actions that undermine the viability of the two-state solution, including terrorism, anti-Semitic incitement, settlement expansion, and the demolition of Palestinian property in the West Bank. Steps to transform the situation in Gaza are also needed. At this highly sensitive time in the region, there is an urgent need to restart the peace process between Israel and Palestine. We regularly press both parties to resume direct negotiations towards a two-state solution.

Israel: Bedouin

Douglas Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to his Israeli counterparts on the future of the village Khan al-Ahmar; and what steps he plans to take to prevent further threats to villages in the Occupied Palestinian Territories.

Dr Andrew Murrison: We regularly raise our concerns with the Israeli authorities at senior levels, including with the Israeli Prime Minister and Israeli Attorney General, urging them not to go ahead with the proposed demolition of Khan al-Ahmar. Officials from our Embassy in Tel Aviv discussed this issue with the Israeli National Security Council on 7 March and the Israeli Office for the Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories on 3 January. Officials from our Consulate General in Jerusalem continue to visit the Khan al-Ahmar community regularly, most recently on 28 March. The UK repeatedly calls on Israel to abandon demolition plans entirely, and instead provide a transparent route to construction for Palestinians in Area C.

Yemen: Violence

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will publish information held by is Department on the incidents of violence in each region of Yemen in each year since 2016.

Dr Andrew Murrison: We do not have access to reliable data on incidences of violence at sub-national level. We do follow closely the situation in Yemen and are concerned about the level of violence in general across the country. We believe a political solution is the only way to end the conflict and urge all parties to refrain from violence and work constructively with the UN to establish a peace process.​

Iran: Official Visits

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether the Government has plans to receive Iranian government ministers in the next six months.

Dr Andrew Murrison: As Minister responsible for the UK's relations with Iran, I have yet to visit Tehran, though I note my predecessor did last year. I hope to be able to visit soon. The Foreign Secretary hopes that the opportunity to travel to Iran will arise in the future but he does not currently have any firm plans to visit. There are no current plans for Iranian ministers to visit the UK for bilateral discussions in this time.

Thusiyan Nandakumar

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has received on threats made against Dr Thusiyan Nandakumar arising from an interview broadcast by the BBC on 21 April 2019 on terror attacks in Sri Lanka.

Mark Field: ​We are aware of threats made against Dr Thusiyan Nandakumar following an interview broadcast on 21 April. The appropriate avenue to pursue the issue of threats is through the UK police. The UK is committed to supporting freedom of speech and supports those who seek to exercise their right to freedom of expression.

Fracking

Alex Norris: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how much (a) official development aid and (b) non-official development aid has been spent via the Prosperity Fund by his Department to provide fracking expertise to foreign Governments since 2016.

Mark Field: Through the Prosperity Fund, the FCO has spent around £87,000 Official Development Assistance (ODA) on projects intended to improve the environmental regulation of shale gas development in China since 2016.The UK regulatory regime for Shale gas is considered among the most robust and stringent in the world. Sharing UK expertise within the UK oil and gas sector, including on environmental regulation, can help ensure that the exploration or development of resources like natural gas is done to a high standard and is managed as part of a transition to low carbon energy system, as well as supporting economic development and poverty reduction

Attorney General

Attorney General: Brexit

Tom Brake: To ask the Attorney General, how many staff of his Department who were transferred or seconded to work (a) in other Departments and (b) on other departmental briefs on preparations for the UK to leave the EU have since returned to his Department.

Lucy Frazer: The Attorney General’s Office had one employee who joined DExEU on loan to support work on preparations for the UK to leave the EU. The employee subsequently moved permanently to another department and will not return to the Attorney General’s Office.

Department of Health and Social Care

Cancer

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the effect of medical nutrition on clinical outcomes for cancer patients.

Seema Kennedy: The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidance on ‘Oesophago-gastric cancer: assessment and management in adults’ (2018) cautions that while nutrition support can improve surgical outcomes, practice in this field varies nationally so its effectiveness has not been determined.

National Institute for Health and Care Excellence

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will expedite the process by which the NICE publishes its decisions.

Seema Kennedy: The Government wants patients to be able to benefit from access to effective new treatments as quickly as possible.Through its technology appraisal and highly specialised technologies guidance, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) makes authoritative, evidence-based recommendations on whether medicines and other treatments represent a clinically and cost effective use of National Health Service resources. NHS organisations are legally required to make funding available for NICE recommended treatments, usually within three months of final guidance.Wherever possible, NICE currently aims to publish recommendations on new drugs as soon as possible after licensing, with draft guidance on cancer drugs published in advance of licensing. The 2019 Voluntary Scheme for Branded Medicines Pricing and Access includes a commitment to faster NICE assessments of new medicines, with timelines for non-cancer drugs to match those for cancer drugs, subject to the evidence base for the product being sufficiently developed.

Department of Health and Social Care: Former Ministers

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much his Department has paid to hon. Members under section 4 of the Ministerial and other Pensions and Salaries Act 1991 since 13 July 2016.

Caroline Dinenage: Any such payments are published in the Department’s audited annual accounts, and these accounts can be found at the following links:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/department-of-health-annual-report-and-accounts-2016-to-2017https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dhsc-annual-report-and-accounts-2017-to-2018

Alcoholic Drinks and Drugs: Rehabilitation

Helen Whately: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what funding his Department has planned to support the alcohol and drug treatment system.

Seema Kennedy: The Government is giving local authorities £16 billion over the current five-year spending review to fund public health activities and services. Local authorities shall receive over £3.1 billion in 2019/20, ring-fenced exclusively for use on public health. As part of the Public Health Grant conditions, services must have due regard for the uptake, investment and improvement of their local services. Decisions on investment in particular services are a matter for individual local authorities. Future investment will be determined by the forthcoming Spending Review.

Mental Illness: Prisoners

Imran Hussain: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many prisoners were prescribed medication for mental health issues in 2018.

Jackie Doyle-Price: This information is not held centrally.

Cataracts: Surgery

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of whether local Clinical Commissioning Groups are implementing NICE guidelines on cataract removal.

Seema Kennedy: The Department has made no such assessment. Local clinical commissioning groups are responsible for the commissioning of cataract surgery, and are required to carefully consider the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines in making commissioning decisions.

Department of Health and Social Care: Brexit

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many staff in his Department who were transferred or seconded to work (a) in other departments or (b) on other departmental briefs on preparations for the UK to leave the EU, have since returned to his Department.

Stephen Hammond: The number of individuals who have been transferred or seconded to work in preparations for the United Kingdom to leave the European Union in other government departments is not recorded. Though we keep a record of Department of Health and Social Care members of staff who are out on loan or secondment, we do not record whether they are going to work on EU Exit. As of 23 April 2019, the Department has a total of 80 employees who are either out on loan or on secondment.

Maternity Services: Safety

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the conduct of maternity investigations into term intrapartum stillbirths will continue to be the responsibility of the Healthcare Safety Investigation Branch for the next three years.

Jackie Doyle-Price: We have not set a definitive timescale for the duration of the maternity investigations. As we said in our response to the Joint Committee’s report ‘Draft Health Service Safety Investigations Bill: A new capability for investigation patient safety incidents’, the Department’s view is that the best approach is to allow the current maternity investigations programme to complete its rollout to all healthcare regions in England, which is now complete and will continue for a limited period so that the learning and benefit can be gained from these investigations.

Maternity Services: Safety

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when the 2019-2020 budget for the Healthcare Safety Investigation Branch maternity programme will be finalised.

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the average cost to the public purse is of a Healthcare Safety Investigation Branch maternity investigation.

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many Healthcare Safety Investigation Branch maternity investigations were opened between April 2018 and September 2018; and how many of those investigations were completed in that period.

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many staff are employed by the Healthcare Safety Investigation Branch to conduct maternity investigations; and how many such staff positions are vacant.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The 2019-20 baseline budget for the Healthcare Safety Investigation Branch (HSIB) maternity programme has been finalised and HSIB have been informed of the outcome.The average cost of a HSIB maternity investigation is £19,000 per investigation. This includes the cost of clinical expertise and training for maternity investigators to lead professional investigations.69 investigations were referred to the HSIB between 1 April and 30 September 2018. No investigations were completed in that period as the Maternity Directions requires investigations to be completed in six months and there were no referrals received in the first month of the HSIB implementing the maternity programme.As from 1 April 2019, the HSIB maternity investigations programme is fully staffed and operational in every healthcare region in England. At the end of April 2019, 147.6 whole time equivalent staff are employed by the HSIB to conduct maternity investigations. There are no staff positions vacant and the figures exclude support from corporate services.

Back Pain: Medical Treatments

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the (a) prevalence of and (b) effectiveness of NHS treatment for back pain.

Seema Kennedy: No assessment has been made on the prevalence of National Health Service treatment for back pain. In the instance that back pain continues, or is caused by a pre-existing medical condition, treatment will be provided in line with the existing guidance. The vast majority of people are successfully managed by their general practitioner (GP) or via community services.The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidance ‘Low back pain and sciatica in over 16s: assessment and management’, published in 2016 set out evidence based best practice in the management of the condition. The guidance includes advice on pharmacological and non-pharmacological approaches to care. The guidance can be viewed at the following link:www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng59As set out in the NHS Long Term Plan, musculoskeletal conditions are responsible for a substantial amount of poor health, and NHS England has committed to expand on work already undertaken to ensure patients will have direct access to musculoskeletal first contact practitioners (FCPs). 98% of sustainability and transformation partnerships have confirmed pilot sites for FCPs and 55% of pilots are already underway. This will expand the number of physiotherapists working in primary care networks, enabling people to see the right professional first time, without needing a GP referral.

Urinary Tract Infections: Medical Treatments

Dr Rosena Allin-Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the efficacy of Professor James Malone-Lee's approach to treating urinary tract infections.

Seema Kennedy: The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence published guidance on recurrent ‘Urinary Tract Infections antimicrobial prescribing’ in October last year. This guideline sets out an antimicrobial prescribing strategy for preventing recurrent urinary tract infections in children, young people and adults who do not have a catheter. It aims to optimise antibiotic use and reduce antibiotic resistance.

Fires: Health Hazards

Karen Lee: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans his Department has to introduce blood tests for effluents in public health checks after large-scale fires.

Seema Kennedy: Public Health England has no plans to introduce blood tests for effluents in public health checks after large-scale fires.

Prescriptions: ICT

Steve Double: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much of the funding allocated to support the roll-out of electronic prescribing and medicines administration systems across the NHS will be allocated during the financial year 2019-2020.

Steve Double: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what proportion of the funding allocated to support the roll-out of electronic prescribing and medicines administration systems across the NHS will be allocated to medicines administration systems.

Caroline Dinenage: For the financial year 2019-20, £20 million of funding has been allocated to support the implementation of Electronic Prescribing and Medicines Administrations Systems (EPMA) in provider trusts.Allocations (between trusts and between systems) are based on a bidding process as usual. NHS Improvement have already received some bids for EPMA funding, which were of a high quality. Trusts have been informed that decisions can be expected in summer.

Patients: Transport

Julian Sturdy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what proportion of funding provided for in the NHS Long Term Plan he plans to allocate to non-emergency patient transport home after hospital attendance.

Seema Kennedy: The funding of non-emergency patient transport services is a matter for local National Health Service commissioners.

Cannabis: Medical Treatments

Sir Mike Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the process will be for patients that are refused a prescription for medical cannabis oil by their second opinion; and will he make a statement.

Seema Kennedy: It is right that these decisions are clinically led. As for any other medical treatment, if two clinicians are of the opinion that, on balance, it is not in the best interest of the patient to prescribe a cannabis-based product, then it will not be prescribed.

Members: Correspondence

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he holds information on when the hon. Member for West Lancashire will receive a response to correspondence sent to Lancashire Care Foundation Trust on 14 March 2018 on mental health care.

Stephen Hammond: NHS Improvement has advised that the Trust responded to the hon. Member’s letter of 14 March 2019 on 17 May 2019.

Cataracts: Surgery

Dame Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure that cataract removal surgery is available to everyone who would benefit from it.

Seema Kennedy: Local clinical commissioning groups (CCGs), with their clinical expertise, are responsible for commissioning high-quality care to meet the needs of their populations. CCGs are required to carefully consider the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines in making commissioning decisions. These are available at the following link:https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng77

Baby Care Units: Mental Health Services

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what mental health support are NHS trusts required to make available to staff employed on neonatal intensive care units.

Stephen Hammond: National Health Service trusts are responsible for ensuring that appropriate mental health support and provision is in place for all of their staff, including those on neonatal intensive care units. Mental health support services provided by trusts could include access to occupational health services, employee assistance programmes, confidential counselling helplines, processes for open sharing of experiences, crisis and trauma response provision and team and peer support structures.The Department is supporting them in this through the NHS staff health and wellbeing framework and NHS Improvement’s NHS staff health and wellbeing collaborative. Both incorporate the mental health standards in ‘Thriving at Work – a review of mental health and employers’ produced by Mind.

Baby Care Units: Sick Leave

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department holds figures on the number of neonatal unit clinical staff who have taken long term sick leave in each of the last five years.

Stephen Hammond: The Department does not hold figures on the number of neonatal unit clinical staff who have taken long term sick leave in each of the last five years.NHS Digital does not publish data on number of staff on sick leave. Whilst NHS Digital does publish the sickness absence rates by staff group, it is not to the level of detail of neonatal clinical staff.

Health and Care Professions Council: Fees and Charges

Mrs Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will seek a guarantee from the Health and Care Professions Council that there will be no further increases to their registration fees for at least the next four years.

Stephen Hammond: The Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) is independent of the Government and funded by registrants’ fees on a cost recovery basis. It is the responsibility of the HCPC to determine the level of fees that it charges registrants. It would therefore not be appropriate for the Government to seek a guarantee from the HCPC that it will not increase its fees for at least the next four years.Following public consultation, the HCPC is planning to raise its annual fees by £16, from £90 to £106 a year from October 2019. HCPC registration fees will remain the lowest of any of the United Kingdom-wide health and care regulators. Registration fees are tax-deductible and this fee rise will amount to just over £1 a month extra for most of the HCPC’s registrants.

Retinoblastoma: Children

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that GPs are trained to identify retinoblastoma in young children.

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that optometrists are trained to identify retinoblastoma at an early stage in young children.

Seema Kennedy: Each individual medical school sets its own undergraduate medical curriculum. These have to meet the standards set by the General Medical Council (GMC), who then monitor and check to make sure that these standards are maintained.The curricula for postgraduate specialty training is set by individual royal colleges and faculties, and the GMC approves curricula and assessment systems for each training programme. Training curricula for doctors emphasise the skills and approaches that a doctor must develop in order to ensure accurate and timely diagnoses and treatment plans for their patients. The Royal College of General Practitioners sets the curriculum for general practitioners (GPs). In order to demonstrate the core competences in the care of children and young people, the curriculum sets out that GPs should be aware of the early presenting symptoms of childhood cancers and possible differentials, such as retinoblastoma.

Dementia

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of implementing the recommendations of the Alzheimer’s Society’s report entitled, Dementia Fund, published in May 2019.

Caroline Dinenage: The Government has committed to publishing a Green Paper on adult social care at the earliest opportunity, setting out proposals for reform and will bring forward ideas for including an element of risk pooling in the system, which will help to protect people from the highest costs. We are committed to ensuring everyone has access to the care and support they need, based on a principle of shared responsibility.One of the important elements of the dementia fund proposal was greater use of Personal Health Budgets (PHBs). PHBs are one way to give people with long-term health conditions and disabilities more choice and control over the money spent on meeting their health and wellbeing needs. We have committed to exploring possible new rights to have PHBs to a further five areas across 2019-20 including dementia.

Chemical Weapons: Salisbury

Sir Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will commission a review of the public health response to the Salisbury and Amesbury Novichok incidents in 2018 to inform future policy on the protection of public health.

Seema Kennedy: Public Health England, NHS England and the Department have carried out post-incident reviews into their response to the Salisbury and Amesbury Novichok incidents. These were subsequently discussed within the Department in September of last year.

Alcoholic Drinks: Misuse

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many paramedic call-outs relating to alcohol there have been in each year since 2013-14.

Stephen Hammond: The information requested is not held centrally.The Government has taken action at the national level to tackle alcohol misuse including preventing below cost selling, tightening the rules on irresponsible promotions and introducing new powers to deal with anti-social behaviour.

NHS Trusts: Disclosure of Information

Anneliese Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many NHS Trusts have appointed Freedom to Speak Up Guardians; and how many of those are (a) board members and (b) members of human resources staff.

Caroline Dinenage: Freedom to Speak Up Guardians have been appointed in all National Health Service trusts in England.Appointments to the role are made locally. There is no nationally published data on the number of Freedom to Speak Up Guardians in trusts that are board members or members of human resources staff.However, further information on the grade and job role of Freedom to Speak Up Guardians can be found in the National Guardian’s 2018 survey of guardians at the following link:https://www.cqc.org.uk/sites/default/files/20181101_ngo_survey2018.pdf

Great Ormond Street Hospital: Doctors Laboratory

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential effect on patient care at Great Ormond Street Hospital of the planned two-day strike by couriers from the Doctors Laboratory.

Stephen Hammond: The Trust does not consider the strike a material risk and will manage the potential impact through use of existing alternative courier arrangements.

Social Services: Training

Melanie Onn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the level of training and support provided to those employed in the care sector.

Caroline Dinenage: The Government is working alongside stakeholders in the adult social care sector to ensure there is the right number of people, with the right skills, knowledge and values to meet increasing demand, and deliver high quality, person-centred care and support.The Department’s delivery partner, Skills for Care, monitors levels of qualifications and training and works to improve standards and increase uptake of training and qualifications for those working in adult social care. This includes distributing £12 million a year through the Workforce Development Fund to support employers fund training.We know that there is more that we can do, and the Government will publish a Social Care Green Paper at the earliest opportunity setting out proposals for reform to ensure the social care system is sustainable for the future. It will include a vision for the workforce, and proposals to boost recruitment, retention, and workforce development in the longer term.

Dental Services

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many NHS-registered dental practitioners have ceased to provide NHS services in each of the last 10 years.

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department collects data on NHS dental practitioners’ reasons for leaving the NHS.

Seema Kennedy: The NHS Business Services Authority collects data on the number of dentists (performers) who provide some National Health Service primary care dental services in each financial year. This data includes information on leavers and joiners. Leavers are defined as dentists who performed NHS activity in one year but then recorded no activity in the following year and Joiners are defined dentists who recorded NHS activity in the later year but who did not record NHS activity in the previous year. The information requested on NHS-registered dental practitioners ceasing to provide NHS services for the last 10 years is attached. Most dentists (associates) work on NHS contracts held by other dentists with NHS England.No information is held on the reasons for an individual dentist leaving an NHS contract. Where the dentist is a contract holder the funding returns to NHS England and it is able to re-let the contract. Where the dentist is working on a contract as an associate the contract holder will seek to recruit a replacement dentist. Overall in the last year for which data is available, 2017/18 total numbers of dentists providing some NHS service increased.



NHS Dentists Ceasing NHS Services 2007-2018
(Excel SpreadSheet, 25.34 KB)

Dental Services

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many NHS dental practice owners sold their practices to corporate dental bodies in each of the last ten years.

Seema Kennedy: This data is not held centrally.

Dental Services

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, for what reasons the statistics compiled by the NHS Business Services Authority are not shared in full with dental practice owners.

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has collated feedback from NHS dental practitioners and NHS dental owners on the effectiveness of NHS Business Services Authority oversight procedures.

Seema Kennedy: The NHS Business Services Authority collects a wide range of data from dental practices as part of its role as payment agency for National Health Service dental remuneration. A sub set of this data is routinely published by NHS Digital and is available at the following link:https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/nhs-dental-statisticsA further suite of management information is not routinely published but is directly shared with dental contract holders through the IT system used to manage remuneration known as Compass. Other data held by the NHS Business Services Authority is available by specific request subject to the usual rules on data protection.Oversight of the NHS Business Services Authority overall is provided by the Department. The NHS Business Services Authority dental services carry out yearly research into user satisfaction with its services. This includes a survey of dental contract holders. The survey aims to identify areas for further improvement and the results are shared with the Department.

Prisons: Mental Health Services

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps have been taken to tackle delays in transferring people with mental health problems from prison to hospital.

Jackie Doyle-Price: NHS England is the commissioning body responsible for ensuring high quality low, medium and high secure hospital accommodation. As part of this role, NHS England has developed a national approach to ensuring close partnership working with local NHS England health and justice teams to review patients’ needs and expedite access to secure mental health beds. This also includes a more detailed understanding of challenges in the system in relation to remissions from hospital to prison, so that access, progress and throughput is improved. NHS England commissioned a repeat of the 2017 National Health Service benchmarking audit on transfers and remissions in early 2019, and a full analysis of this data is currently taking place. This information will help to ensure that challenges and delays in the system are addressed to ensure timely and appropriate transfers of care. The current ‘Prison Transfer and Remission Best Practice Guidance’, published by the Department in 2011, is being reviewed and two separate documents are being developed to replace it: one for immigration removal centres and another for prisons.

Drugs: Prices

Gill Furniss: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the ongoing negotiations between the NHS and Vertex pharmaceuticals on the price of cystic fibrosis drug Orkambi, if he will set out the priorities for the UK's delegation to the World Health Assembly, 21-26 May 2019; and if they will support the Italian Government's proposed resolution to  improve the transparency of markets for drugs, vaccines and other health-related technologies to strengthen states positions when negotiating drug prices with industry.

Seema Kennedy: The United Kingdom has a long-established and globally-recognised track record of assessing the price of new, innovative medicines by their clinical benefit and value, rather than by their development costs or international reference prices. It is crucial that patients have access to the most effective and innovative medicines at a price that represents value to the National Health Service. The Government fully supports the approach the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence and NHS England are adopting in the ongoing negotiations with Vertex Pharmaceuticals on access to their portfolio of cystic fibrosis medicines. The UK will engage constructively with the talks at the World Health Assembly to achieve the best outcome for people here and globally, including in low and middle income countries. Pricing arrangements are the responsibility of Member States and are highly context specific, but the Department supports information sharing and mutual learning initiatives, where appropriate, in seeking to improve value for money for country procurement budgets.

Hospitals: Greater London

Ms Harriet Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department plans to undertake a public consultation on proposals to change pathology and specialist scanning services in South East London hospitals.

Ellie Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make it his policy to consult on any future changes to pathology services in South East London.

Stephen Hammond: The South East London pathology network is being created as part of a national strategy to network all National Health Service pathology services in England, following identification of significant opportunity in the 2016 Carter review.Due to the significant benefits to quality and cost of service, all NHS trusts are expected to network as per the direction set out by NHS Improvement in September 2017.There are different ways to approach networking and the delivery of pathology services and the trust may wish to lead public consultation on any chosen delivery model, however the decision to consult would be for the South East London hospitals involved to decide. Neither the Department or NHS England have plans to consult on this specific network.

Drugs: Prices

Dan Carden: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the draft resolution for consideration by the World Health Assembly in May 2019 on improving the transparency of markets for medicines, vaccines and other health-related technologies, if the Government will withdraw its support for suggested amendments to remove every mention of high prices.

Dan Carden: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the draft resolution for consideration by the World Health Assembly in May 2019 on improving the transparency of markets for medicines, vaccines and other health-related technologies, if the Government will take steps to help ensure that the recommendation to member states calls for mandatory rather than voluntary measures.

Dan Carden: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if the Government will support the draft resolution for consideration by the World Health Assembly in May 2019 on improving the transparency of markets for medicines, vaccines and other health-related technologies.

Seema Kennedy: The United Kingdom has a long-established and globally-recognised track record of assessing the price of new, innovative medicines by their clinical benefit and value, rather than by their development costs or international reference prices. The UK will engage constructively with the talks at the World Health Assembly to achieve the best outcome for people here and globally, including in low and middle income countries. Pricing arrangements are the responsibility of Member States and are highly context specific, but the Department supports information sharing and mutual learning initiatives, where appropriate, in seeking to improve value for money for country procurement budgets.

Department for International Development

Palestinians: Humanitarian Aid

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what recent assessment he has made of the humanitarian situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territories.

Dr Andrew Murrison: We continually monitor the humanitarian situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. We are concerned by the high levels of poverty, unemployment, and food insecurity, as well as the fragile health system, shrinking Gazan economy and the lack of access to consistent supplies of electricity. DFID recently announced an aid package of £2 million to the International Committee for the Red Cross to support delivery of medicines, equipment and rehabilitation services. The UK’s new economic development programme aims to help the economy in Gaza and the West Bank by increasing trade and creating jobs. The UK has also made a commitment to UNRWA of up to £80m over the next two years to help provide health services and education to Palestinian refugees living across the Middle East. The UK is committed to alleviating the humanitarian situation in the OPTs and continues to urge the parties to prioritise progress towards reaching a durable solution.

Yemen: Economic Situation

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what estimate she has made of the amount of economic activity lost to Yemen as a result of aerial bombing in that country since the Stockholm peace agreements were signed in December 2018.

Dr Andrew Murrison: The IMF estimates that Yemen’s economy has contracted by around 50% since the conflict began in 2015, with GDP per capita down from $1,570 in 2014 to $873 in 2018. Both the formal and informal economies have collapsed as a result of conflict lines preventing the movements of goods and people, infrastructure damage including to factories and roads, lack of electricity and clean water and a population beset by lack of food and disease. We are not aware of any data this year on the loss of economic activity as a result of aerial bombing.

Yemen: food and Sanitary protection

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps his Department has taken to help reduce the price of (a) food and (b) sanitary goods imported into Yemen.

Dr Andrew Murrison: The UK continues to encourage the Government of Yemen to reduce the risk of inflation by not printing new money and has worked with the Central Bank of Yemen to release over $500 million of hard currency, provided by Saudi Arabia, to support importers bringing in food staples. Although the Riyal has since stabilised, the price of food and other basic goods remains high. We will continue to work with the Government of Yemen and international partners to consider how we can continue to have a good level of imports of food, fuel and medicine into Yemen which helps to alleviate pressure on prices.

Yemen: Overseas Aid

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what funding his Department has allocated to support the reconstruction of infrastructure in Yemen.

Dr Andrew Murrison: The UK is working with the Government of Yemen, Gulf partners, the UN, international financial institutions, and other donors on planning for Yemen’s post-conflict recovery. This includes emphasising the importance of providing security, stabilising the economy, and delivering basic services. We will continue to work closely with all parties to support Yemen’s recovery following any political settlement. We are also continuing our work to protect key institutions that will be critical to Yemen’s future development. Between 2010 and 2018, for example, DFID contributed £108 million to the Yemen Social Fund for Development, providing hundreds of thousands of Yemenis with work opportunities restoring roads, health clinics, and agricultural land, as well as providing training, infrastructure improvements, and clean water to thousands more.

Yemen: Peace Negotiations

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what proportion of Official Development Assistance for Yemen has been allocated to (a) peacebuilding and (b) conflict management in (i) 2016, (ii) 2017, (iii) 2018 and (iv) 2019.

Dr Andrew Murrison: The UK is leading efforts to strengthen peace and stability in Yemen and fully supports the work of UN Special Envoy Martin Griffiths towards achieving a negotiated and durable peace settlement. We continue to support conflict management and peacebuilding in Yemen. Through the UK’s Conflict, Stability and Security Fund, we provided £1.04 million towards conflict management and peacebuilding in 2016, £1.04 million in 2017, £2.95 million in 2018, and have a proposed budget of £2.83 million for 2019. DFID is also funding activities focussed on strengthening local peacebuilding and improving the role of women in peacebuilding in Yemen. We provided £258,000 last financial year (2018/19) and have a proposed budget of £3.26 million for 2019/20.

Humanitarian Aid: Travel

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what diplomatic steps his Department has taken with his international counterparts to establish safe travel routes for international humanitarian organisations.

Dr Andrew Murrison: We are acutely aware of the difficult operating environments humanitarian organisations often face delivering life-saving assistance. Currently in Yemen this is a subject of constant negotiation for the UN’s Humanitarian Coordinator, who works tirelessly with both parties and humanitarian actors to ensure those most in need are being reached. Through UK diplomatic channels we continue to press authorities to facilitate aid delivery. This can include issuing visas to humanitarian staff or permission for NGOs and UN agencies to travel to reach people in more difficult or remote areas. We also continue to call on both parties to comply with UN Security Council Resolution 2451 by facilitating safe, rapid, and unhindered access for both the humanitarian response and commercial supplies.

Yemen: Humanitarian Aid

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps his Department has taken to provide a rapid humanitarian response to victims of violent incidents in Yemen.

Dr Andrew Murrison: Through the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) we are supporting those who have been injured by violent incidents through physical rehabilitation centres, as well as those who have been displaced from their homes with food, health care, psychosocial support and legal assistance. We routinely pre-position supplies through our partners including World Food Programme and UNICEF, as well as through the UN Rapid Response Mechanism where it is judged conflict might affect populations. In 2018 for example, the UK flew more than 30,000 tents, blankets, kitchen sets and other household items into Yemen which were urgently needed by families displaced from Hodeidah.

Developing Countries: Poliomyelitis

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps his Department taking to tackle polio in (a) Afghanistan and (b) Nigeria.

Dr Andrew Murrison: The UK is the third largest donor to the Global Polio Eradication Initiative and has committed £1.3 billion in total since 1995. In Afghanistan GPEI are working to reach mobile populations where children have been chronically missed by vaccination campaigns. In Nigeria activities are focussed on trying to reach all children with vaccinations to close immunity gaps that allow polio to remain. The UK are observers on the Polio Oversight Board and represent all state donors on the Strategy Committee, which gives us a position from which to influence the activities of the fund at a strategic level. We regularly review progress in the endemic countries, including Afghanistan, Pakistan and Nigeria and DFID country offices in each of these countries also have valuable insight by engaging with the programme in country.

Department for International Development: Sick Leave

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how many and what proportion of officials in his Department took sick leave for reasons relating to stress in the last 12 months; what proportion that leave was of total sick leave taken in his Department; and what the cost was to his Department of officials taking sick leave over that period.

Harriett Baldwin: 106 DFID employees were absent due to stress, anxiety and/or depression during the period 1 May 2018 to 30 April 2019. This represented 3.6% of DFID’s workforce and 21% of the overall sickness absence for the department during this period. The estimated cost to DFID due to sickness absence during the period 1 May 2018 to 30 April 2019 was £217,350. DFID is committed to the health and wellbeing of all our staff, including helping them to manage stress in the workplace. DFID offers a range of guidance and services in place to support staff, including our Employee Assistance Programme (EAP), which offers telephone and face to face counselling for all staff. This service also provides a wide range of online information and advice on work/life issues. DFID’s HR teams and Occupational Health Services provide support and advice for staff and managers to ensure a successful return to work after a period of mental ill health. DFID also has a Listening Network, an informal peer staff network, to complement the help already available.

South Sudan: Food Aid

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what the level of famine is in South Sudan; and what food aid the Government is making available to that country.

Harriett Baldwin: No famine has currently been declared in South Sudan, although the risk remains high. The latest Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) report for South Sudan was published in January 2019. This projected that 6.87 million people, 60% of the population, would experience severe levels of food insecurity (IPC phases 3 to 5) between May and July 2019 – including 50,000 people experiencing ‘Catastrophe’, or famine-like, levels of food insecurity (IPC Phase 5). The food security crisis in South Sudan is man-made, and driven by conflict. Without peace, the humanitarian crisis will continue to worsen. We are at the forefront of the international response to the crisis, and UK aid is saving lives. Between 2016 and 2020, the UK is providing £122.3 million of emergency food assistance and £56 million of food security and livelihoods assistance to South Sudan. Our food aid is provided to the most vulnerable populations and reached more than 330,000 people in 2018. Where the context is more stable, we build resilience and tackle the underlying causes of food insecurity by working with traders and small producers to kick-start and scale-up markets, and with households to diversify their income sources. The UK is also putting pressure on all conflict parties to commit to the implementation of the revitalised peace agreement.

South Sudan: Rape

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps the Government is taking to tackle the prevalence of rape in South Sudan; and what programmes he has established to educate (a) women and (b) men that rape is unacceptable.

Harriett Baldwin: Sexual violence is widespread in South Sudan. In most cases perpetrators of sexual violence are men who are known to the victims. Rape is also regularly used as a weapon of war by all parties. The UK strongly condemns all forms of sexual and gender based violence (SGBV). We continue to lobby the Government of South Sudan to address SGBV and end impunity for perpetrators, and support organisations working to tackle the prevalence of SGBV in the country. This includes a four-year, £14.8 million programme with the International Medical Corps, which has reached more than 850,000 women, men, girls and boys with SGBV interventions in South Sudan. Through this we are supporting survivors of SGBV, including in seeking justice, as well as trying to change damaging attitudes within communities. As attitudes and behaviours are shaped at an early age, our Girls Education in South Sudan programme also educates both boys and girls about healthy relationships.

Developing Countries: Sex and Relationship Education

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps his Department is taking to promote sex education in developing countries.

Dr Andrew Murrison: Sex and relationships education both in and/or outside of school is important to ensuring not only sexual and reproductive health but wider gender equality issues. DFID’s 2018 Education Policy commits us, working with national governments, to promote appropriate sex and relationships education in schools to enable informed choices. Through our support to UNESCO, UNFPA and the Global Financing Facility, we support governments to address sexuality education in schools and through community-based training and outreach.

Developing Countries: Climate Change

Dan Carden: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, pursuant to the Answer of 16 April 2019 to Question HL15044 on Developing Countries: Climate Change, how much of the £5.8 billion allocated to international climate finance between 2016-17 and 2020-21 will be spent on tackling loss and damage in climate-vulnerable countries.

Rory Stewart: Action to avert, minimize and address loss and damage associated with climate change is intricately bound up with action on mitigation, adaptation, disaster risk reduction and disaster preparedness and response. We therefore do not see that attempting to define a separate category of finance for loss and damage as useful or practical. Of the £5.8bn on climate finance we have committed to spend from 2016-2021 the UK aims to spend 50% on adaptation and 50% on mitigation.

Developing Countries: Fracking

Alex Norris: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how much (a) official development aid and b) non-official development aid has been spent via the Prosperity Fund by his Department to provide fracking expertise to foreign Governments since 2016.

Harriett Baldwin: The Department for International Development has not used the Prosperity Fund to spend any ODA or non-ODA to provide fracking expertise to foreign Governments.

Department for Education

Department for Education: Former Ministers

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much his Department has paid to hon. Members under section 4 of the Ministerial and other Pensions and Salaries Act 1991 since 13 July 2016.

Anne Milton: Any such payments are published in the department’s audited annual accounts which can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/dfe-annual-reports.The department’s 2018-19 annual accounts are currently due to be laid before Parliament before the summer recess.

Pupils: English Language

Alex Sobel: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many pupils do not have English as their first spoken language in each primary school in the Leeds City Council area.

Nick Gibb: The number of pupils by English as a first language in England is published in the annual ‘Schools, pupils and their characteristics’ statistical release, available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/schools-pupils-and-their-characteristics-january-2018. Data for each school is available in the underlying data of this release, contained in file ‘Schools_Pupils_and_their_Characteristics _2018_Schools_Pupils_UD’. The figures can be filtered by local authority name e.g. Leeds (column H), school phase e.g. state-funded primary schools (column N). The number of pupils whose first language is known or believed to be other than English is in column GA.

Department for Education: Brexit

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many staff in his Department who were transferred or seconded to work (a) in other departments or (b) on other departmental briefs on preparations for the UK to leave the EU, have since returned to his Department.

Anne Milton: Following the extension to Article 50, 82 members of staff who had been working on preparations for the UK leaving the European Union at other government departments have now returned to the Department for Education.The department constantly reviews its capabilities and allocation of resources in order to effectively deliver the government’s agenda. Internal transfers and loans are agreed locally, so the department does not hold this information centrally.The Civil Service is focused on delivering the government’s most pressing priorities, so it is only sensible that we make use of the resources and expertise that are available. This includes departments sharing staff and working together on joint projects.

Children: Day Care

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department is taking to increase the (a) level and (b) quality of (i) staff qualifications and (ii) in-service professional development in the pre-school childcare sector.

Nadhim Zahawi: We are committed to ensuring that all children have access to high quality early education and can achieve their full potential. The latest Ofsted data confirms that 95% of early years providers are now rated ‘good’ and ‘outstanding’, up from 68% in 2010. The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) framework is mandatory for all early years providers in England. It sets out the staffing requirements for early years settings, including ratios and qualifications. In March 2017, we published the early years workforce strategy. This set out how the government will support employers to attract, retain and develop high quality early years staff, which is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/early-years-workforce-strategy. Since then we have worked with sector stakeholders to develop criteria for new more robust level 2 qualifications and awarded a grant to take forward activity to promote gender diversity in the early years workforce. We have also created a new career pathway document to support careers advice, recruitment and staff development. This information is available here: https://www.cache.org.uk/media/1417/dfe-career-pathway-map-v17.pdf. We are also supporting employer trailblazer groups to develop new apprenticeship standards for the early years workforce and investing £20 million in in-service professional development and training for early years practitioners in pre-reception settings in disadvantaged areas.

Special Educational Needs: Training

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether he plans to introduce mandatory SEN and disability law training for all SENCOs, SEN officers, managers and head teachers.

Nadhim Zahawi: Special Educational Needs Co-ordinators (SENCOs) working in schools are required to achieve a National Award in SEN Co-ordination (NASENCO) within 3 years of appointment (unless they were appointed before 1 September 2009). There are no plans to change this.The NASENCO is a Masters-level award that covers all aspects of leading on special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) within schools. It also covers aspects of supporting children and young people with SEND. An accredited Early Years SENCO Award is being delivered by NASENCO. It is not mandatory for SENCOs in early years setting to gain this qualification.Guidance to help schools understand how the Equality Act (2010) affects them and how to fulfil their duties under the act is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/equality-act-2010-advice-for-schools. There are no plans to introduce mandatory training in relation to the Equality Act.

Department for Education: Sick Leave

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of officials in his Department took sick leave for reasons relating to stress in the last 12 months; what proportion that leave was of total sick leave taken in his Department; and what the cost was to his Department of officials taking sick leave over that period.

Anne Milton: The number of employees in the department who were absent for stress-related reasons from 1 May 2018 to 30 April 2019 was 119, which represented 1.84% of the total workforce and 11.26% of the overall sickness absence.The estimated cost of this sickness absence is £3,456,595 (based on a calculation of total working days lost multiplied by the daily rate of the department’s median salary). The department is committed to the health and wellbeing of all our employees, including helping them to manage stress in the workplace. There is a range of guidance and services in place to support the department’s employees such as Mental Health First Aiders, Employee Assistance Programmes and Fair Treatment Ambassadors. Sickness absence data for the Civil Service from 1999 to the first quarter of 2018 is published on GOV.UK and available at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/civil-service-sickness-absence.

Students: Loans

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much money has been repaid to the Student Loans Company in each of the last three years.

Chris Skidmore: Statistics covering student loans, debt and repayment are published annually by the Student Loans Company (SLC). The statistics are published separately for each government administration. Information on repayments by financial year can be found in table 1 of each of the publications:https://www.slc.co.uk/official-statistics/student-loans-debt-and-repayment.aspx. The next release in the student loans, debt and repayment series is confirmed for 13 June 2019, which will include repayment statistics for the financial year 2018-19.

Arts: Secondary Education

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department is taking to promote arts and creative subject provision in secondary schools.

Nick Gibb: All state-maintained secondary schools must teach art and design and music to pupils at Key Stage 3 (pupils aged 11 – 14). Drama is taught as part of the English curriculum and dance is included in PE & sport. At Key Stage 4 (pupils aged 14 – 16), there is a statutory entitlement for every pupil to take an arts subject, if they wish to do so. Academies must teach a broad and balanced curriculum. Ofsted’s new education inspection framework, which comes into effect in September, has a strong emphasis on ensuring schools provide a broad and balanced curriculum for all their pupils. Between 2016-20 we are spending almost £500 million on a range of arts and cultural education programmes.

Apprentices: Pay

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when his Department plans to publish the Apprenticeship Pay Survey 2018.

Anne Milton: The timetable for this year's Apprenticeship Pay Survey has been adjusted to allow the survey to be merged with the department's Apprenticeship Evaluation Survey. Apprenticeship Pay Survey fieldwork has been completed, and reporting is underway. The government will publish results in due course.

Teachers: Health

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the effect of short-term contracts for academics on the health and wellbeing of those staff.

Chris Skidmore: As independent and autonomous institutions, higher education (HE) providers are responsible for decisions regarding the contracts they offer to academics. Like all employers, HE providers have a duty of care to their staff. The department expects them to take this very seriously.I gave a speech on 7 May that focused on early career researcher contracts. I am keen that early career academics do not get lost from policy debates – particularly around key issues like mental health and wellbeing. I am looking forward to the upcoming publication of the revised Concordat to Support the Career Development of Researchers, and I am serious about taking this forward. The full text of this speech can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/reaching-24-securing-the-research-talent-of-tomorrow.

Further Education: GCSE

Neil O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many students in further education colleges have been required to take (a) English and (b) mathematics GCSEs because of the requirement that all 16 to 18 year old students who have not yet achieved a grade 4 while at secondary school resit these exams in each of the last six years; and how many of those students achieved a pass at grade 4 or the equivalent required standard.

Anne Milton: From August 2014, students who left key stage 4 without a GCSE grade 4/C or above (or equivalent) in English and/or maths were required to continue studying these subjects as part of their 16-19 study programme. From the following year, students starting a new study programme with a GCSE grade 3/D (or equivalent) in English and/or maths had to enrol on GCSE courses only. From August 2019, students starting a new or continuing an existing study programme with a GCSE grade 2 (or equivalent) or below can study towards a pass in Functional Skills Level 2 or they can still study towards a GCSE grade 4 to 9. Those with a grade 3 (or equivalent) must still study GCSE only. Providers have the freedom to decide if and when students are ready to re-enter for an examination. For years up until 2014/15 the Department published statistics on the achievement in English and maths by students who had not achieved GCSE A*-C 2 years previously (i.e. the 2014/15 estimates were based on those at end of key stage 4 in 2012/13). From 2015/16, figures are based on students at the end of their 16-18 study (up to 3 years of study)[1]. This means that figures for 2014/15 and earlier are not directly comparable to those for later years. The tables attached show the number of students in further education colleges, in England, from 2012/13 to 2017/18 who did not achieve a grade 4/C or equivalent in English or maths at key stage 4 and how many of them went on to achieve a grade 4/C or better (or equivalent). [1] Available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/statistics-attainment-at-19-years. For 2012/13 to 2014/15, scroll down to the ‘level 1 and 2 attainment’ section and open the link for each year. In the national tables, you require tables 2 and 4. For 2015/16 to 2017/18, open the revised publication at the top of the page for 2016, 2017 or 2018 and then open the ‘English and maths tables’. Institution type breakdowns are available in table 14a and 14b.



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Erasmus+ Programme

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department has taken to negotiate association to the next Erasmus programme starting in 2021.

Chris Skidmore: The government firmly believes that the UK and European countries should continue to give young people and students the chance to benefit from each other’s world-leading universities following our exit from the European Union. The next generation of EU programmes are currently being discussed in the EU. This includes the proposed regulation for the 2021-27 Erasmus+ programme, which has reached a partial general approach in the Council of the European Union. We will continue to participate in discussions on the draft regulation while we remain an EU Member State. Of course, the text of the regulation has not been finalised, including important aspects such as the terms of third-country participation, and we will need to consider the regulation as a whole. Ultimately, any decisions about our participation in the next Erasmus+ programme will also be a matter for wider negotiations about our future relationship with the EU.

Higher Education: Registration

Andrew Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the expected timeframe is for the Office for Students to complete the registration of a higher education establishment.

Chris Skidmore: There is no set timeframe for how long it takes the Office for Students (OfS) to process an application. This is because a final registration decision is dependent on a number of factors. These include the completeness of the application, the scale of the information requested by the assessor during the assessment process and the length of time taken by the provider to respond to such information requests. The time taken for the provider’s bespoke access and participation plan to be negotiated and approved also has an impact on the length of the process.

Higher Education: Registration

Andrew Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many higher education establishments (a) received and (b) did not receive their registration within the timeframe expected of the Office for Students.

Chris Skidmore: As higher education establishments may choose to apply for registration onto the Office for Students’ (OfS) register at any time, there is no set deadline or timeframe for when they should receive a decision on their applications. To date, 356 higher education establishments have successfully registered with the OfS since the OfS started accepting applications.

Numeracy: Primary Education

Angela Rayner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate his Department has made of the cost of administering the multiplication tables check in schools in each of the next five financial years.

Nick Gibb: The multiplication tables check (MTC) is developed and delivered by the Standards and Testing Agency (STA), an executive agency of the Department for Education.The STA’s planned expenditure for the MTC over the next five financial years is currently being considered, and will be dependent upon the outcome of the current (2019) national pilot; as a result, definitive final figures are not available at this time.However, based on current project spend, service development and project costs to-date, and budget planning assumptions, it is estimated that the check will cost between £650,000 and £700,000 per annum to administer - this equates to around 1.2% of STA’s annual budget. Department officials will be able to confirm the actual figure(s) later in the year.

Higher Education: Admissions

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions he has had with representatives of (a) universities and (b) the education sector on sharing data on an applicant's (i) pupil premium status and (ii) ethnicity directly with universities for the purpose of widening access and participation in higher education.

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions he has had with (a) the Office for Students and (b) UCAS on the transmission of data on an applicant's (i) pupil premium status and (ii) ethnicity directly to universities for the purpose widening access and participation in higher education.

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will make an assessment of how additional indicators of a pupil's disadvantage and under-representation in higher education can be made accessible to universities in order to widen participation and help such pupils access work.

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether he has made an assessment of the extent to which sharing data on additional indicators of an applicant’s disadvantage and under-representation in higher education, including pupil premium status, free school meals eligibility and ethnicity can enable universities to make further progress on widening access and participation in higher education.

Chris Skidmore: Widening access and participation in higher education is a priority for this government. This means that everyone with the capability to succeed in higher education should have the opportunity to participate, regardless of their background or where they grew up. We have made real progress in ensuring universities are open to all, with record rates of disadvantaged 18 year olds in higher education. However, we know that more needs to be done to maximise the potential of the talent of future applicants to higher education courses, so it is vital that we build on this progress. Higher education providers need to use good quality and meaningful data to identify disadvantage in order to effectively address disparities in access and participation in higher education. We encourage institutions to use a range of measures to identify disadvantage, including individual-level indicators, area data (such as POLAR, Index of Multiple Deprivation or ACORN), school data, intersectional data such as the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service's (UCAS) multiple equality measure and participation in outreach activities.To this end, we are working with the Office for Students, UCAS and sector representatives to further explore how we can support universities to improve and enhance access to data. We want institutions to consider a broad range of information in their offers, including the context in which a student’s results were achieved. We are committed to helping universities progress in their efforts to improve access and successful participation for under-represented groups.

Ministry of Justice

Birmingham Prison

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Written Statement of 2 April 2019, Official Report HCWS1475 on HMP Birmingham, if he will list the new approaches that have been delivered by the private sector referred to in that Statement.

Robert Buckland: Privately-managed prisons have pioneered the use of modern technology to improve the running of establishments and help promote rehabilitation. This includes the development of in-cell telephony to help prisoners maintain ties with their families; interactive story-time activities between prisoners and their children; and the introduction of electronic kiosks, which allow prisoners to have greater control of managing their day-to-day lives. The use of body-worn video cameras was introduced by private prisons. Private prisons also have excellent facilities as standard, such as showers in cells, which it is not possible to provide in our older prisons.

Prisoners: Death

Imran Hussain: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how soon he is informed of deaths in prisons.

Robert Buckland: The death of a prisoner or of any other person must be reported immediately to HMPPS HQ by telephone. That report must then be followed up with a written report within 24 hours (or, at weekends, by the following Monday). In the case of a deceased prisoner, the prison must also report the death to the Prisons & Probation Ombudsman in writing, within 24 hours. Reports to HMPPS are sent daily to Ministers’ offices and to the relevant officials in my Department, including the team who oversee the progress of the Ombudsman’s investigations.

Prison Officers: Riot Control Weapons

Imran Hussain: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how much his Department has spent on training prison officers on the use of PAVA spray.

Robert Buckland: We do not hold specific training costs for PAVA training. PAVA training is incorporated into Use of Force training, which is mandatory of all prison officers and as such it is not possible to isolate specific training costs. We are committed to the rollout of PAVA to support our hardworking prison officers to do their jobs. PAVA is just one part of our approach to improve prison safety. PAVA spray is explicitly for the protection of staff, the protection of those in our care or to facilitate the safe withdrawal of staff. It will be used in exceptional circumstances where a member of staff is faced with serious violence, or the perceived threat of serious violence.

Glen Pava Prison and Wellingborough Prison: Contracts

Imran Hussain: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, when his Department plans to open bids for contracts to operate HMP Wellingborough and HMP Glen Parva.

Robert Buckland: The mini competition for the operation of the prison at Wellingborough will be launched this summer following the award of the Prison Operator Framework, which is planned for June 2019The launch of the mini competition for the operation of the prison at Glen Parva is anticipated to commence in 2021.

Prisoners: Education

Imran Hussain: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what criteria his Department will use to judge the effectiveness of the Education and Employment Strategy 2018 in improving education for adult prisoners.

Robert Buckland: Making prison Governors responsible and accountable for the education provision delivered in their individual prisons is a key focus of the strategy. This includes giving them control of their education budgets, deciding on the curriculum to be delivered and playing a role in choosing the provider(s) of their education delivery to best meet the needs of their prisoners. To measure planned and actual improvements in educational performance, we will assess that the prison infrastructure supports education;that prison education is fully integrated into all aspects of prison life;that those in custody are assessed at the start and end of their sentences;and that providers and their staff work flexibly and collaboratively to deliver high quality educational provision.We will also ensure that education is available in every prison; that prisoners all have a personal learning plan linked to their sentence plan; and that provision is suitable to address the needs of the those concerned. Governors will also need to be aware of the needs of their population and commission suitable provision that is linked to local employment needs, so that those released from prison can gain employment. Progress will be measured via improvements in the Ofsted ratings awarded, ensuring that there is an increase in the percentage of prisons receiving “Good” or “Outstanding” ratings for education delivery.

HM Courts and Tribunals Service

Yasmin Qureshi: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference paragraph 7.20 of HM Courts & Tribunals Service response to the consultation paper entitled Fit for the future: transforming the Court and Tribunal Estate, what steps he is taking to determine appropriate capacity utilisation of the HM Courts & Tribunals estate; and what the date is for the completion of that analysis.

Paul Maynard: HM Courts & Tribunals Service is currently investigating how to appropriately evaluate optimum utilisation rates for courts and tribunals, looking at past data on utilisation and performance. We anticipate that this analytical work will be completed prior to the publication of any further proposals regarding the court or tribunal estate. Maintaining effective access to justice will be the top priority when making decisions about the future of courts and tribunals buildings. The closure of any court is not taken lightly and, where a service is moved outside the local area, will only follow a full public consultation. To date, courts that have closed have been dilapidated, too close to another or underused. All money raised from the sale of buildings since 2016 has been reinvested back into the justice system.

Courts: Disability

Yasmin Qureshi: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many court buildings in the south west of England were inaccessible to (a) defendants and witnesses, (b) members of the public and (c) court staff with disabilities in the week beginning 6 May 2019; and how many of those buildings were only temporarily inaccessible in that week because of broken lifts; and how many of those courts were inaccessible to at least one of those groups for (i) more than one week and (ii) more than one month in the latest period for which figures are available.

Paul Maynard: HM Courts & Tribunals Service is committed to ensuring access to courts and tribunals is maintained for staff and service users. We have a reasonable adjustments policy in place to accommodate those with particular access requirements. Disabled access was typically not factored in when many of our court and tribunal buildings were built. However, we have a number of accessible courts that our criminal justice partners are aware of, and these are used to list cases where a defendant might have accessibility needs. The majority of our buildings were accessible to the user groups listed during the period in question. Of the 40 total courts and tribunals in the South West, none were inaccessible to witnesses, staff or members of the public during the week commencing 6 May 2019, whilst 27 were inaccessible to one very specific user group with disabilities (defendants using custodial facilities). No buildings were temporarily inaccessible due to broken lifts. We aim to list cases at suitable venues when there are access needs. Where access issues do arise various mitigations are explored, including video-conferencing from a remote site, the use of judicial or staff lifts, or later start times for those who require longer to travel to court. Since 2015/16, we have invested more than £114m to improve court buildings and, in last year’s Budget, the Chancellor announced an additional £15m to be spent on improving maintenance and security across the estate.

Courts: Disability

Yasmin Qureshi: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many court buildings in the south east of England, excluding Greater London, were inaccessible to (a) defendants and witnesses, (b) members of the public and (c) court staff with disabilities in the week beginning 6 May 2019; and how many of those buildings were only temporarily inaccessible in that week because of broken lifts; and how many of those courts were inaccessible to at least one of those groups for (i) more than one week and (ii) more than one month in the latest period for which figures are available.

Paul Maynard: HM Courts & Tribunals Service is committed to ensuring access to courts and tribunals is maintained for staff and service users. We have a reasonable adjustments policy in place to accommodate those with particular access requirements. Disabled access was typically not factored in when many of our court and tribunal buildings were built. However, we have a number of accessible courts that our criminal justice partners are aware of, and these are used to list cases where a defendant might have accessibility needs. The majority of our buildings were accessible to the user groups listed during the period in question. Of the 81 total courts and tribunals in the South East, only 11 were inaccessible to witnesses and members of the public during the week commencing 6 May 2019, none were inaccessible to staff, whilst 39 were inaccessible to one very specific user group with disabilities (defendants using custodial facilities). 3 of those buildings were temporarily inaccessible in that week because of broken lifts, of which 3 were inaccessible for more than one month. We aim to list cases at suitable venues when there are access needs. Where access issues do arise various mitigations are explored, including video-conferencing from a remote site, the use of judicial or staff lifts, or later start times for those who require longer to travel to court. Since 2015/16, we have invested more than £114m to improve court buildings and, in last year’s Budget, the Chancellor announced an additional £15m to be spent on improving maintenance and security across the estate.

Courts: Disability

Yasmin Qureshi: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many court buildings in the Greater London were inaccessible to (a) defendants and witnesses, (b) members of the public and (c) court staff with disabilities in the week beginning 6 May 2019; and how many of those buildings were only temporarily inaccessible in that week because of broken lifts; and how many of those courts were inaccessible to at least one of those groups for (i) more than one week and (ii) more than one month in the latest period for which figures are available.

Paul Maynard: HM Courts & Tribunals Service is committed to ensuring access to courts and tribunals is maintained for staff and service users. We have a reasonable adjustments policy in place to accommodate those with particular access requirements. Disabled access was typically not factored in when many of our court and tribunal buildings were built. However, we have a number of accessible courts that our criminal justice partners are aware of, and these are used to list cases where a defendant might have accessibility needs. The majority of our buildings were accessible to the user groups listed during the period in question. Of the 56 total courts and tribunals in London, only 7 were inaccessible to witnesses and members of the public during the week commencing 6 May 2019, none were inaccessible to staff, whilst 26 were inaccessible to one very specific user group with disabilities (defendants using custodial facilities). 2 of those buildings were temporarily inaccessible in that week because of broken lifts, of which 2 were inaccessible for more than one month. We aim to list cases at suitable venues when there are access needs. Where access issues do arise various mitigations are explored, including video-conferencing from a remote site, the use of judicial or staff lifts, or later start times for those who require longer to travel to court. Since 2015/16, we have invested more than £114m to improve court buildings and, in last year’s Budget, the Chancellor announced an additional £15m to be spent on improving maintenance and security across the estate.

Courts: Disability

Yasmin Qureshi: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many court buildings in the Midlands were inaccessible to (a) defendants and witnesses, (b) members of the public and (c) court staff with disabilities in the week beginning 6 May 2019; and how many of those buildings were only temporarily inaccessible in that week because of broken lifts; and how many of those courts were inaccessible to at least one of those groups for (i) more than one week and (ii) more than one month in the latest period for which figures are available.

Paul Maynard: HM Courts & Tribunals Service is committed to ensuring access to courts and tribunals is maintained for staff and service users. We have a reasonable adjustments policy in place to accommodate those with particular access requirements. Disabled access was typically not factored in when many of our court and tribunal buildings were built. However, we have a number of accessible courts that our criminal justice partners are aware of, and these are used to list cases where a defendant might have accessibility needs. The majority of our buildings were accessible to the user groups listed during the period in question. Of the 44 total courts and tribunals in the Midlands, none were inaccessible to witnesses, staff or members of the public during the week commencing 6 May 2019, whilst 32 were inaccessible to one very specific user group with disabilities (defendants using custodial facilities). No buildings were temporarily inaccessible due to broken lifts. We aim to list cases at suitable venues when there are access needs. Where access issues do arise various mitigations are explored, including video-conferencing from a remote site, the use of judicial or staff lifts, or later start times for those who require longer to travel to court. Since 2015/16, we have invested more than £114m to improve court buildings and, in last year’s Budget, the Chancellor announced an additional £15m to be spent on improving maintenance and security across the estate.

Courts: Disability

Yasmin Qureshi: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many court buildings in the north west of England were inaccessible to (a) defendants and witnesses, (b) members of the public and (c) court staff with disabilities in the week beginning 6 May 2019; and how many of those buildings were only temporarily inaccessible in that week because of broken lifts; and how many of those courts were inaccessible to at least one of those groups for (i) more than one week and (ii) more than one month in the latest period for which figures are available.

Paul Maynard: HM Courts & Tribunals Service is committed to ensuring access to courts and tribunals is maintained for staff and service users. We have a reasonable adjustments policy in place to accommodate those with particular access requirements. Disabled access was typically not factored in when many of our court and tribunal buildings were built. However, we have a number of accessible courts that our criminal justice partners are aware of, and these are used to list cases where a defendant might have accessibility needs. The majority of our buildings were accessible to the user groups listed during the period in question. Of the 45 total courts and tribunals in the North West, only 4 were inaccessible to witnesses or members of the public during the week commencing 6 May 2019, none were inaccessible to staff, whilst 25 were inaccessible to one very specific user group with disabilities (defendants using custodial facilities). No buildings were temporarily inaccessible due to broken lifts. We aim to list cases at suitable venues when there are access needs. Where access issues do arise various mitigations are explored, including video-conferencing from a remote site, the use of judicial or staff lifts, or later start times for those who require longer to travel to court. Since 2015/16, we have invested more than £114m to improve court buildings and, in last year’s Budget, the Chancellor announced an additional £15m to be spent on improving maintenance and security across the estate.

Courts: Disability

Yasmin Qureshi: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice,  how many court buildings in the north east of England were inaccessible to (a) defendants and witnesses, (b) members of the public and (c) court staff with disabilities in the week beginning 6 May 2019; and how many of those buildings were only temporarily inaccessible in that week because of broken lifts; and how many of those courts were inaccessible to at least one of those groups for (i) more than one week and (ii) more than one month in the latest period for which figures are available.

Paul Maynard: HM Courts & Tribunals Service is committed to ensuring access to courts and tribunals is maintained for staff and service users. We have a reasonable adjustments policy in place to accommodate those with particular access requirements. Disabled access was typically not factored in when many of our court and tribunal buildings were built. However, we have a number of accessible courts that our criminal justice partners are aware of, and these are used to list cases where a defendant might have accessibility needs.The majority of our buildings were accessible to the user groups listed during the period in question. Of the 51 total courts and tribunals in the North East, only four were inaccessible to witnesses and 3 to members of the public during the week commencing 6 May 2019, none were inaccessible to staff, whilst 34 were inaccessible to one very specific user group with disabilities (defendants using custodial facilities).No buildings were temporarily inaccessible due to broken lifts. We aim to list cases at suitable venues when there are access needs. Where access issues do arise various mitigations are explored, including video-conferencing from a remote site, the use of judicial or staff lifts, or later start times for those who require longer to travel to court.Since 2015/16, we have invested more than £114m to improve court buildings and, in last year’s Budget, the Chancellor announced an additional £15m to be spent on improving maintenance and security across the estate.

Courts: Disability

Yasmin Qureshi: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many court buildings in Wales were inaccessible to (a) defendants and witnesses, (b) members of the public and (c) court staff with disabilities in the week beginning 6 May 2019; and how many of those buildings were only temporarily inaccessible in that week because of broken lifts; and how many courts were inaccessible to at least one of these groups for (i) more than one week, and (ii) more than one month in the latest period for which figures are available.

Paul Maynard: HM Courts & Tribunals Service is committed to ensuring access to courts and tribunals is maintained for staff and service users. We have a reasonable adjustments policy in place to accommodate those with particular access requirements. Disabled access was typically not factored in when many of our court and tribunal buildings were built. However, we have a number of accessible courts that our criminal justice partners are aware of, and these are used to list cases where a defendant might have accessibility needs. The majority of our buildings were accessible to the user groups listed during the period in question. Of the 27 total courts and tribunals in the Wales, none were inaccessible to witnesses, staff or members of the public during the week commencing 6 May 2019, whilst 11 were inaccessible to one very specific user group with disabilities (defendants using custodial facilities). No buildings were temporarily inaccessible due to broken lifts. We aim to list cases at suitable venues when there are access needs. Where access issues do arise various mitigations are explored, including video-conferencing from a remote site, the use of judicial or staff lifts, or later start times for those who require longer to travel to court. Since 2015/16, we have invested more than £114m to improve court buildings and, in last year’s Budget, the Chancellor announced an additional £15m to be spent on improving maintenance and security across the estate.

Ministry of Justice: Telephone Services

Yasmin Qureshi: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 9 May 2019 to Question 249921 on Ministry of Justice: Telephone Services, how many calls did each of those helplines receive in the last year.

Edward Argar: The table below includes the number of calls received from May 2018 – April 2019. Ministry of JusticeNo. of Calls- Public Enquiry Line30,223 HMCTSNo. of Calls- Divorce550,338- Employment and Tax Tribunals40,940- Family and Civil468,118- Immigration and Asylum139,669- London Magistrates154,420- Money Claims265,653- Probate13,360- Single Justice System39,971- Social Security Child Support478,163- Video Hearings453 HMPPSNo. of Calls- Public Enquiry Line15,644 Criminal Injuries Compensation AuthorityNo. of Calls- Customer Service Centre182,496 Office of the Public GuardianNo. of Calls- Call Centre Helpline361,749 Legal Aid AgencyNo. of Calls- Crime Contact Centre116,079- Civil Contact Centre165,954- Civil Legal Advice55,340

Probation: Conditions of Employment

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to ensure that staff delivering probation services through (a) private companies and (b) the National Probation Service are treated equally in terms of (i) pay and (ii) terms and conditions.

Robert Buckland: The NPS implemented a modernised pay structure in 2018. This was agreed with the recognised Probation Trade Unions. As separate employers, it is a matter for CRCs to agree with the Trade Unions any changes to pay or terms and conditions for their staff.

Community Rehabilitation Companies: Standards

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department has taken in relation to poor performance by community rehabilitation companies in the last five years.

Robert Buckland: The performance of all CRCs is robustly managed by the department and we will not hesitate to take action if standards fall short. Contract Management teams rigorously monitor performance across all CRCs. Where poor performance has been identified; relevant contractual levers are applied including service credits and performance improvement plans to drive up the performance standards as required. As of July 2018, there were 35 specific improvement plans in place across 15 of the CRCs and covering 10 service metrics. On 16 May 2019 the Government made an announcement by setting out plans for the future of probation in England and Wales. From spring 2021, our reforms will see a stronger role for the National Probation Service in managing all offenders, greater voluntary sector involvement in rehabilitation, and the private sector leading where it has specialist experience and can support innovation.

Community Rehabilitation Companies: Fines

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many financial penalties his Department has issued to community rehabilitation companies as a result of poor performance; and what the value was of those penalties in each of the last five years.

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of his Department’s policy of suspending fines for community rehabilitation companies for poor performance; and if he will make a statement.

Robert Buckland: Having agreed to terminate CRC contracts early, we now expect expenditure on CRCs to be approximately £1.4 billion less in total than originally expected over the shortened lifetime of the contracts.Between July 2015 and March 2018, £7.4m of financial penalties (known as service credits) were levied in total across all Community Rehabilitation Companies (CRCs). As referenced in the National Audit Office report of 1 March 2019, £4.1m was applied and paid back to the Department and £3.3m was re-invested back into services by the CRCs.Our starting presumption is that penalties are applied if accrued by CRCs for under-performance. Penalties have not been applied where we have agreed that factors out of the control of the CRC have led to the under-performance, or where a recalculation has shown that penalties should not have been triggered. On relevant occasions where it has been considered appropriate not to apply the penalties, we have sought to agree a reinvestment of the value of the penalty back into the delivery of services.Contract Management Teams continue to closely monitor and robustly manage CRCs to ensure that they fulfil their contractual commitments and deliver value-for-money for the taxpayer.

Community Rehabilitation Companies: Contracts

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether community rehabilitation companies with a record of poor performance will be allowed to bid for future probation contracts.

Robert Buckland: We will award contracts to those best placed to carry them out. As with any major procurement exercise, all bidders will be subject to a rigorous assessment of their suitability and previous experience.

Probation: Public Sector

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of returning probation services to the public sector.

Robert Buckland: The Ministry of Justice has produced an initial assessment of the cost of returning probation services to the public sector. These costs include exit costs for current Community Rehabilitation Company contracts which will be subject to negotiation with providers. Releasing these figures may compromise that negotiation so we cannot do so at this time.

National Offender Management Service: Wales

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of returning offender management services in Wales to the public sector.

Robert Buckland: The Ministry of Justice has produced an initial assessment of the cost of returning offender management services in Wales to the public sector. These costs include exit costs for current Community Rehabilitation Company contracts which will be subject to negotiation with providers. Releasing these figures may compromise that negotiation so we cannot do so at this time.

Probation

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of probation services in each of the last 10 years.

Robert Buckland: The total amount spent by the Ministry of Justice on probation services in England and Wales for the years requested is set out in a summary table below.Financial YearsProbation Expenditure, nominal12018/192£892,900,0002017/18£815,200,0002016/17£850,200,0002015/16£968,800,0002014/15£851,700,0002013/14£804,500,0002012/13£832,400,0002011/12£819,800,0002010/11£874,600,0002009/10£898,800,0001Figures have been rounded and show actual costs  2The 2018/19 data is finalised but subject to audit The expenditure prior to 2014/15 is for Probation Boards and Trusts. From 2014/15 onwards, responsibility for providing probation services transferred to the new National Probation Service (NPS) and 21 Community Rehabilitation Companies (CRCs). The cost increase in 2014/15 and 2015/16 was for transition and mobilisation costs of setting up the NPS and CRCs, as well as closing-down Probation Trusts, as part of the Transforming Rehabilitation reforms. These costs (post 2014/15) include spend on both the NPS and CRCs.

Community Rehabilitation Companies: Staff

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to ensure that community rehabilitation companies maintain adequate levels of staff.

Robert Buckland: Community Rehabilitation Company (CRC) contracts require each CRC to maintain a sufficient level of staff and ensure that its workforce is competent and adequately trained. Our Contract Management teams closely monitor and robustly manage providers to make sure they fulfil their commitments.

Community Rehabilitation Companies and National Probation Service for England and Wales

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to reduce the workload of (a) community rehabilitation companies and (b) the National Probation Service.

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to (a) reduce and (b) vary the workload of staff in the National Probation Service.

Robert Buckland: We are currently recruiting more staff into the National Probation Service (NPS). Changes to the recruitment process and eligibility criteria for probation officers have been made resulting in increases in both the volume and diversity of probation officer applicants. A national campaign to recruit probation officers is underway and successful candidates will start in July 2019.Community Rehabilitation Company (CRC) contracts require each CRC to maintain a sufficient level of staff and ensure that its workforce is competent and adequately trained. CRCs have the authority to manage staff numbers as per their business and operating models. Robust assurance of performance is provided through operational contract management backed up by regular Operational Assurance audits.A probation worker’s tasks are not based solely on the number of cases they are managing, but the level of supervision each case requires. The Ministry of Justice publishes quarterly statistics showing the total caseload of both the 21 CRCs and the NPS in the Offender Management Statistics Bulletin, England and Wales: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/offender-management-statistics-quarterlyOn 16 May 2019 the Government made an announcement by setting out plans for the future of probation in England and Wales. From spring 2021, our reforms will see a stronger role for the National Probation Service in managing all offenders, and therefore varying the work of NPS staff. We are in the process of gathering data on all staff across the probation system to inform our workforce planning for the new model.

Community Rehabilitation Companies: Judges

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to rebuild confidence in community rehabilitation companies with judges.

Robert Buckland: It is vital that the public and the judiciary have confidence in alternatives to custody such as community sentences, and the probation services who deliver them. On 16 May 2019 the Government set out plans for the future of probation in England and Wales. From spring 2021, our reforms will see a stronger role for the National Probation Service in managing all offenders, greater voluntary sector involvement in rehabilitation, and the private sector leading where it has specialist experience and can support innovation. By streamlining the system, our changes will improve the flow of information to sentencers on the probation services available in their areas. Our changes will also ensure a wider range of rehabilitative programmes, so that courts can better tailor community sentences to the individual needs of offenders. In addition, the implementation of the “Liaison arrangements between sentencers and providers of probation services” Probation Instruction 05/2018 will ensure there is effective communication and dialogue with sentencers on issues of joint interest and concern.

Probation: Third Sector

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to encourage the involvement of third-sector organisations in the delivery of probation services.

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to ensure that future community rehabilitation company contracts will encourage increased levels of involvement of third-sector organisations in delivering probation services.

Robert Buckland: We want to see a clearer role for a wide range of voluntary sector providers in probation delivery, including local and specialist services. As part of plans for the future of probation set out on 16 May 2019, we will be developing a commercial framework to allow the National Probation Service to directly commission rehabilitation and resettlement services on a scale that encourages the participation of smaller suppliers and is responsive to the needs of local areas.It is our intention that up to £280million-worth of such contracts will be tendered to the voluntary and private sectors each year – delivering interventions such as Unpaid Work, accredited programmes, and support to find jobs and housing.

National Offender Management Service

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of the National Probation Service of remaining in the public sector; and if he will make a statement.

Robert Buckland: As part of plans for the future of probation announced on 16 May 2019, the National Probation Service (NPS) will assume responsibility for managing all offenders in England and Wales. The NPS is performing well in managing higher risk offenders and is best placed to achieve the benefits of unifying offender management within a single organisation. There are no plans to change the status of the NPS as a public body. The aim of these changes is to help deliver a stronger, more stable probation system that better plays to the respective strengths of the public, private and voluntary sectors, that will reduce reoffending, support victims of crime and keep the public safe – and merit the confidence of the courts and the public.

National Probation Service: Labour Turnover

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many staff have left the National Probation Service in each of the last five years.

Robert Buckland: The number of staff who have left the National Probation Service in each of the last 5 years can be found in the published workforce statistics (Table 6B) covering the period to March 2019 is available in the public domain athttps://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/hm-prison-and-probation-service-workforce-quarterly-march-2019

National Probation Service: Stress

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many staff that left the National Probation Service cited work stress as a contributing factor in each of the last five years.

Robert Buckland: Information is not available on the number of staff that have left the National Probation Service citing work stress as a contributing factor as there is no classification on the system to record work stress.

National Probation Service: Labour Turnover

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many staff have left the National Probation Service within two years of qualifying in each of the last five years.

Robert Buckland: Information is not available on the number of staff who have left the National Probation Service within two years of qualifying in each of the last five years.

Ministry of Justice: Brexit

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many staff in his Department who were transferred or seconded to work (a) in other departments or (b) on other departmental briefs on preparations for the UK to leave the EU, have since returned to his Department.

Paul Maynard: 39 Ministry of Justice staff were seconded to work in other departments since December 2018 as part of the no-deal preparations co-ordinated by Cabinet Office. At the current time, 34 staff have returned, with extensions agreed for the remaining 5 staff.

Criminal Proceedings: Sexual Offences

Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment his Department has made of the effect on the wellbeing of victims of sexual assault of undergoing cross-examination during the court process.

Edward Argar: In the Government’s first ever cross-government Victim’s Strategy, we committed to make the court environment more victim friendly and to improve access to special measures.Victims may be provided with a wide range of special measures to help them give their best evidence in court. The measures available include the power for a court to order arrangements for live video links, video recorded evidence in chief, and screens around the witness box, and from this summer an additional special measure - pre-recorded cross-examination - will be will be available for witnesses who are adult complainants in sexual offences, in three courts - Liverpool, Leeds and Kingston upon Thames. This marks delivery of another commitment in the Victims Strategy published in September 2018.

Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme: Offences against Children

David Warburton: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference his announcement on 9 September 2018 of a review of the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme, whether his Department will extend the period of time for which survivors of child sexual abuse can claim compensation beyond 1964.

Edward Argar: State funded schemes to compensate victims of violent crime have existed since 1964. The 2012 Scheme provides that a person is eligible for an award only in relation to a criminal injury sustained on or after 1 August 1964. The review will examine whether the Scheme reflects the changing nature of violent crime and effectively supports victims in their recovery, and consider the impact of the Scheme on particular groups, including victims of child sexual abuse. We are also removing the pre-1979 same roof rule from the 2012 Scheme, under which applicants were not entitled to compensation for injury from incidents that occurred between 1964 and 1979 if they were living with their assailant as members of the same family at the time of the incident. Past claimants refused under the rule will be able to make new applications.

Joseph McCann

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, on what date did his officials inform him that Joseph McCann had been released in error.

Robert Buckland: Joseph McCann has now been charged with a number of serious sexual offences committed on or after 21 April 2019. At the time he was being supervised by the National Probation Service (NPS) on licence, as part of the sentence of imprisonment for public protection which he had received In 2008. The NPS will now review how Mr McCann was managed in the community, in accordance with the Probation Serious Further Offence (SFO) Review Procedures, in order to identify whether there were any deficiencies in practice which must be addressed by means of a formal action plan. We are looking into the circumstances surrounding his release.He was released on 15 February 2019, in accordance with the sentence of the Court on 25 January 2018, having served half the three-year determinate sentence for burglary which the Court imposed, less time he had already spent on remand.

Offences against Children: Extracurricular Activities

Stephen Lloyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will extend the definition of abuse of positions of trust in the Sexual Offences Act 2003 to cover all adults working with children in extra-curricular activities.

Paul Maynard: Any sexual activity with a child under 16 is a criminal offence, regardless of whether consent is given. Any non-consensual sexual activity is also a crime, whatever the age of the victim and whatever the relationship between the victim and perpetrator. I recognise that there are concerns about those who might abuse their position of power over a 16 or 17-year-old to pressure them into engaging in a sexual relationship. Such behaviour is very likely to be caught by the robust laws we already have in place, However, we remain absolutely committed to protecting children and young people from sexual abuse and we want to ensure that existing offences are being used effectively to tackle this behaviour, and that those working with young people understand their responsibilities and act appropriately. My department, working closely with colleagues across government, is taking forward a review of the existing law, to check that that it is working effectively and ensuring young people are protected.

Offenders: Pupil Exclusions

Ms Harriet Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many and what proportion of people convicted of a crime and sentenced to time in prison in each of the last five years had been excluded from their primary school.

Robert Buckland: Holding answer received on 20 May 2019



This data is held at individual child level and could be provided only at a disproportionate cost. Aggregated data that is available about children sentenced to youth custody who have previously been excluded from school can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/understanding-the-educational-background-of-young-offenders-full-reportIn his review of school exclusions published on 7 May 2019, Edward Timpson found that “exclusion is a marker for being at higher risk of becoming a victim or perpetrator of crime”, but that “it would be wrong to suggest that we have evidence that exclusion of any kind causes crime or that preventing the use of exclusion would, in itself, prevent crime.” The review and the government’s response can be found at:https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/school-exclusions-review-call-for-evidence

Extortion: Prosecutions

Toby Perkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many successful prosecutions have been brought for the offence of blackmail against people that  demanded money to leave sites which they are occupying illegally in each year since 2010.

Robert Buckland: Information regarding prosecutions and convictions for blackmail offences from 2010 to 2018 can be found at the following link – https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/802314/outcomes-by-offence-tool-2018.xlsx Filter the ‘Offence’ field to ’35 Blackmail’ to obtain these figures. The total number of defendants proceeded against as well as those convicted of blackmail for the 2008-2018 decade will appear in the pivot table. However, specific information regarding blackmail offences, such as the offence of blackmail against people that demanded money to leave sites which they were occupying illegally, may be held on court record. But to be able to identify these cases, as they are not held centrally, we would have to access individual court records which would be of disproportionate cost.

Prisons: Mental Health Services

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what proportion of prison officers have received training on when to refer a person for mental health support.

Robert Buckland: Over 14,000 staff have already received the new suicide and self-harm reduction training which includes a module on Mental Health Awareness, in addition to the safer custody training already provided across the estate. Prison Officer Entry Level Training (POELT) is a mandatory 12 week programme for all new entrant officers to give them the knowledge and skills they need to carry out their role. There are a number of sessions on Mental Health within this training, including: ‘Introduction to Mental Health’, ‘Introduction to Suicide and Self Harm (SASH) Prevention’ and ‘Personality Disorders.’ This training will enable staff to identify any concerns and submit the appropriate referral to healthcare professionals. The following e-learning training is also available on Civil Service Learning for all staff working in Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service:Mental Health Conditions and Dementia: Support for CustomersMental Health at WorkWellbeing, Resilience and Stress

Prisoners: Death and Self-harm

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to reduce levels of self-harm and deaths in custody among the prison population.

Robert Buckland: Prisons should be places of safety and reform. We recognise that the current level of suicide and self-harm is too high. With this in mind, the Government is taking unprecedented action, including:investing in over 4,700 additional staff since October 2015;introducing new suicide and self-harm prevention training, which has already reached over 24,000 staff;improving support for prisoners in their early days and weeks and rolling out a ‘key worker’ scheme which ensures each prisoner has dedicated support from a particular prison officer;funding the Samaritans to provide their valuable Listeners Scheme for a further three years; andimproving the ACCT case management process for those identified as at risk of self-harm or suicide. We are also committed to taking action to improve prisoners’ health. Since April 2018, a new National Partnership Agreement has been in place, marking an even stronger level of co-operation and cohesiveness between agencies that influence the policy, commissioning and delivery of prison health services. The agreement sets out how the partnership (DHSC, NHS England, MoJ, HMPPS and Public Health England) will work together to deliver its three core objectives. It agrees ten key priority areas for 2018-2021, including reducing incidents of self-harm and self-inflicted deaths in the adult secure estate. In addition, NHS England has published a new Service Specification for Integrated Substance Misuse Treatment Services in Prisons in England, which brings greater focus to the treatment of users of psychoactive substances and makes stronger links to mental health.

Treasury

Treasury: Former Ministers

Justin Madders: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much his Department has paid to hon. Members under section 4 of the Ministerial and other Pensions and Salaries Act 1991 since 13 July 2016.

Elizabeth Truss: Any such payments are published in the department’s audited annual accounts, and these accounts can be found on gov.uk.

BBC: National Insurance

Philip Davies: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the cost to the BBC of the additional employers' national insurance contributions due as a result of the ruling by HMRC on personal service companies.

Philip Davies: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what discussions he has had with the BBC on potential tax liabilities arising on the beneficiaries of any settlement reached by the BBC with HMRC over the tax now due by presenters who had previously been paid through personal service companies.

Mel Stride: I cannot comment on individual tax affairs.

Universal Credit

Karin Smyth: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will confirm that none of the 870,651 alleged Tax Credit overpayments which were remitted as detailed in the HM Revenue & Customs Annual Report and Accounts 2011-12 have been transferred to his Department for collection through universal credit.

Elizabeth Truss: HMRC can confirm that none of the Tax Credit overpayments remitted have been transferred to DWP for collection through Universal Credit.

Employment

Neil Gray: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what progress his Department has made on achieving Sustainable Development Goal 8 to promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all.

Robert Jenrick: The UK has made strong progress in recent years on key priorities within Goal 8, including delivering record low unemployment levels, championing small businesses, reforming the financial services sector, and enhancing the role of women in work. A number of challenges remain, including raising the UK’s productivity, tackling climate change, and ensuring Good Work for all. The forthcoming Voluntary National Review will set out in greater detail the UK’s progress against all of the Sustainable Development Goals.

Financial Conduct Authority: Correspondence

David Hanson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what proportion of (a) email or web form or webchat and (b) letter correspondence from (i) firms and (ii) consumers the Financial Conduct Authority provides a substantive response to within two working days of receipt; and how many such substantive responses in total there were in each of the last five years.

John Glen: This is a matter for the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), which is operationally independent from Government. The question has been passed on to the FCA. The FCA will reply directly to the right honourable member by letter. A copy of the letter will be placed in the Library of the House.

Urban Areas

Henry Smith: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what fiscal steps he is taking to support the economic sustainability of the high street.

Mel Stride: At Budget 2018, the Government set out Our Plan for the High Street to help local high streets to evolve and adapt to changing consumer demands. This included a cut for smaller retailers to business rates by a third for two years from 1 April 2019. The Government also announced a new £675m Future High Streets Fund to support local areas to make high streets fit for the future. £55 million of the Fund has also been allocated to support the regeneration of historic high streets and town centres.

Beer: Excise Duties

Faisal Rashid: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will reduce beer duty in Budget 2019.

Robert Jenrick: This government remains clear in its support for consumers, pubs and breweries, and we have taken action to this end – ensuring the price of a pint of beer is 14p is lower than it otherwise would have been since ending the beer duty escalator in 2013. All taxes are kept under review and the impact of a change to beer duty is considered at each fiscal event, including its effect on pubs and the wider economy.

Low Pay

Stephen McPartland: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he is taking to increase take-home pay for low-paid workers.

Elizabeth Truss: The government is committed to making work pay and keeping more money in people’s pockets. On 1 April we saw another above inflation increase to our National Living Wage, meaning a full-time worker on the National Living Wage will be earning £690 more over the coming year. And the personal allowance has increased to £12,500, meaning a typical basic rate taxpayer will pay £130 less tax than in 2018-19 and £1,205 less tax than in 2010-11. Economic growth is key to growing wages. That’s why we’re investing record amounts in infrastructure, supporting businesses to grow and keeping taxes low. Wages are growing strongly, at 3.2% in the latest data and have outstripped inflation for 12 consecutive months. The government has an aspiration to end low pay and will set a new remit for the Low Pay Commission, for the years beyond 2020, later this year.

Local Government Finance

Chris Philp: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he has made an assessment of the effect on local authority budgets of the Government's no recourse to public funds policy.

Elizabeth Truss: I have regular discussions with the Home Secretary and the Communities Secretary about their budgets, including the impact of any government policy that may affect local authority finances. We need to make sure our immigration system is fair, while also protecting the taxpayer. There are already exemptions to the ‘no recourse to public funds’ condition for those in genuine need, such as those facing destitution or to protect the welfare of a child. I would expect the relevant departments to raise any issues at the Spending Review, where we can consider how we fund our priorities across government. Local Government Core Spending Power is increasing in real terms this year. We have provided an additional £650m for social care in 2019-20.

Aviation: Fuels

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent assessment he has made of the merits of introducing fuel duty or VAT on aviation fuel.

Robert Jenrick: Members of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), including the United Kingdom, are prevented from taxing international aviation fuel, or any proxies for fuel, under the Chicago Convention. However, Air Passenger Duty – which raised £3.4 billion in 2017-18 – ensures that the air travel sector contributes to the cost of public services.

Doctors: Pensions

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the effect of the annual tapered allowance on the retention of doctors in NHS hospitals.

Elizabeth Truss: The Government is committed to public service pensions which are fair to workers and fair to other taxpayers. The tapered annual allowance is focussed on the highest earning pension savers, to ensure that the tax relief they receive is not disproportionate to that of other savers. The Government is aware of specific concerns raised by some high-earning NHS doctors impacted by annual allowance tax charges. As the Chancellor said at the Treasury Select Committee, we are currently in discussions with the Department of Health and Social Care about providing additional pension flexibility for NHS doctors affected by annual allowance tax charges.

Insurance Companies

Joseph Johnson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he has taken to make sure that adequate interim payments to third parties are made promptly by insurance companies after those companies have accepted liability.

Joseph Johnson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he is taking to stop insurance companies delaying interim payments to third parties to take advantage of potential changes to the Ogden discount rate.

Joseph Johnson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make it his policy to introduce a legally binding code of conduct for insurance companies to protect (a) defendants and (b) claimants from the start of a third party claim to the final settlement.

John Glen: The FCA is an independent body responsible for regulating and supervising the financial services industry. It sets the conduct standards required of insurance firms in relation to their business. The FCA’s rules require insurers to handle claims fairly and promptly; provide reasonable guidance to help a policyholder make a claim, and appropriate information on its progress; not reject a claim unreasonably; and settle claims promptly once settlement terms are agreed. It is important that insurers treat customers fairly and the Government supports the FCA in carrying out its responsibilities.

Economic Situation: Air Pollution

Wera Hobhouse: What assessment the Government has made of the economic effect on vulnerable people of air pollution.

Robert Jenrick: We are determined to tackle air pollution and reduce its impact on public health and the environment. The government has committed £3.5bn to improve air quality for the entire population. Emissions of toxic Nitrogen Oxides have fallen by almost 29% since 2010 and are at their lowest level since records began, but there remains more to do.

Renewable Energy: Finance

Bill Esterson: What recent assessment he has made of trends in the level of public funding for renewable energy since 2010.

Robert Jenrick: The Government is committed to investing in renewable energy and our support has enabled the UK to become a world leader in clean growth with the fastest emissions reduction on a per person basis than any other G7 nation. We will spend £4.5 billion between 2016 and 2021 to support the development of renewable and low carbon heating through the Renewable Heat Incentive. The Government is also encouraging private sector innovation and £92 billion of private funding has been invested in clean energy in the UK since 2010.

Royal Fleet Auxiliary: Pay

Luke Pollard: What discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Defence on the pay settlement for staff of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary.

Elizabeth Truss: Royal Fleet Auxiliary personnel are part of the civil service. Therefore, responsibility for setting their pay and terms and conditions lies with the Cabinet Office and Ministry of Defence.

Productivity

Diana Johnson: What fiscal steps his Department is taking to increase regional productivity.

Robert Jenrick: The Government is investing in every region to drive jobs and growth, with 3.5 million more people in work since 2010. Investments include the £2.5bn Transforming Cities Fund and the Local Growth Fund which has invested over £12bn since 2015, including £141m in the Humber Local Enterprise Partnership. Over 60% of jobs have been created since 2010 have been in regions outside London and the South East.

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government: Brexit

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many staff in his Department who were transferred or seconded to work (a) in other departments or (b) on other departmental briefs on preparations for the UK to leave the EU, have since returned to his Department.

Jake Berry: Brexit is an all-of-government operation. The Department for Exiting the European Union is responsible for overseeing negotiations to leave the EU and establishing the future relationship between the UK and EU.The department does not hold a central record of the posts or responsibilities occupied by its staff once transferred, loaned or seconded to another department or organisation. We are however able to confirm that in the time since 23 June 2016 there have been seven people transferred or loaned to the Department for Exiting the European Union who have subsequently returned to this department. MHCLG staff on loan to other departments in this period may have contributed to or worked on preparations for the UK to leave the EU but we are unable to confirm or supply this information.

Buildings: Insulation

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 9 May 2019 to Question 249214 on Buildings: Insulation, what assessment he has made of the nature of the risks to public safety.

James Brokenshire: We believe there are public safety risks, including risks to residents, associated with releasing information that allows buildings with cladding which is likely to present a hazard to be easily identified.

National Holocaust Memorial Centre and Learning Service

Sir Edward Leigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what the area of Victoria Tower Gardens to be occupied by the structures and hard paving of the Holocaust Memorial and Learning Centre is in square metres under the (a) planning application submitted in December 2018 and (b) revised proposals of May 2019.

Mrs Heather Wheeler: The area of Victoria Tower Gardens to be occupied by the structures and courtyard paving of the Holocaust Memorial and Learning centre in square metres was 1400 m2 in the planning application submitted in December 2018 (7.43 per cent of the park area) and 1429 m2 in the revised proposals of April 2019 (7.58 per cent of the park area).

National Holocaust Memorial Centre and Learning Service

Sir Edward Leigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, for what reason the Government has allocated an additional £25 million to the construction of the Holocaust Memorial and Learning Centre.

Mrs Heather Wheeler: The additional £25 million will provide further funding for the revised entrance pavilion, the Memorial courtyard and surrounding landscaping, and to take account of VAT incurred on the overall project costs.

National Holocaust Memorial Centre and Learning Service

Sir Edward Leigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what the current estimated cost is for the construction of the Holocaust Memorial and Learning Centre; and what proportion of that cost will be covered by funds from the public purse.

Mrs Heather Wheeler: The estimated total cost for building the Holocaust Memorial and Learning Centre is £102 million (including VAT). Government has committed up to £75 million towards the overall costs subject to at least £25 million being secured from private sources.

National Holocaust Memorial Centre and Learning Service

Sir Edward Leigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how much funding from private sources has been promised towards the construction of the Holocaust Memorial and Learning Centre; how many promises of funding exceeding £1 million have been made; and what conditions have been attached by the donors to those donations.

Mrs Heather Wheeler: A fund-raising campaign is being led by a newly established independent charity, led by Foundation member Gerald Ronson CBE, who has committed to securing pledges of at least £25 million.

Grenfell Tower: Fires

Karen Lee: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what discussions he has had with representatives of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea on their decontamination of the Grenfell Tower Fire site.

Kit Malthouse: The Government is leading a programme of additional environment checks to be carried out in and around the Grenfell Tower site. This is to reassure the bereaved, survivors and wider community that any environmental risks to public health will be fully assessed and appropriate action taken. The programme is being coordinated by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, who have established a Multi-Agency Partnership to provide the relevant expertise to oversee the design and delivery of the additional environmental checks, assess risks to public health and advise health partners on any additional health monitoring and treatment options for residents, should these be required. The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea is a member of the Multi-Agency Partnership.The environmental checks programme is regularly discussed with the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, and other Government departments, at Ministerial Recovery Group meetings, chaired by the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government.

Housing: Fire Prevention

Karen Lee: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what plans his Department has to bring forward legislative proposals to introduce a statutory requirement for industry to quantify the carcinogenic contents of combustible materials used in construction.

Kit Malthouse: My Department issued a call for evidence to inform potential changes to fire safety guidance, which included asking for evidence on the issue of the release of toxic fumes from building materials as a result of fires. That call for evidence closed on the 15 March 2019, and we are currently analysing the responses.

Social Rented Housing: Mental Illness

Derek Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the number of people with mental health problems on social housing waiting lists.

Kit Malthouse: Local authorities are required by law to ensure that ‘reasonable preference’ (ie priority) for social housing is given to those who need to move on medical and welfare grounds, including grounds relating to a disability. Statutory allocations guidance makes clear that this would include a mental illness or disorder.

Sleeping Rough

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what recent assessment he has made of the (a) adequacy of the methodology used to measure rough sleeping and (b) accuracy of the data produced as a result of deploying that methodology.

Mrs Heather Wheeler: MHCLG’s latest annual rough sleeping statistics are available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/rough-sleeping-in-england-autumn-2018These statistics provide a single night snapshot of people sleeping rough across each local authority in England. The snapshot is taken annually by local authorities using street counts, evidence-based estimates, and estimates informed by spotlight street counts. Local authorities decide, in conjunction with their local partners and based on advice from Homeless Link who verify the rough sleeping statistics collection, to use the approach that they believe will return the most accurate figure to assess the extent of people sleeping rough in their local area.The methodology used has been in place since 2010 when it was developed after consultation with local authorities and the voluntary sector with the objective of strengthening the accuracy of the figures. Prior to 2010, there was no requirement for all local authorities to carry out a count or estimate to make an assessment of the number of people sleeping rough in their local area.We are confident in the annual rough sleeping statistics and the methodology used. The annual snapshot has never claimed to be a total figure of all those sleeping rough in the country and is a pragmatic approach that provides a representation of those sleeping rough, alongside a reliable and consistent measure of change. The methodology used in England aligns with the approach which is now standard in many parts of the world including Canada, the United States and a number of other European countries.All counts and estimates are independently verified by Homeless Link. Homeless Link oversee the whole process, issue clear guidance on how to conduct a count or estimate and actively challenge areas to ensure figures are reliable. Hundreds of local partners and voluntary sector organisations actively engage in the count and producing the estimate which also gives us confidence in the reliability of the statistics.Accurately counting or estimating the number of people sleeping rough within a local authority is inherently difficult given the hidden nature of rough sleeping. There are a range of factors that can have an impact on the number of people seen or thought to be sleeping rough on any given night. This includes the weather, where people choose to sleep, the date and time chosen, and the availability of alternatives such as night shelters.MHCLG is actively encouraging local authorities with significant numbers of rough sleepers to improve their year-round data on rough sleeping and is working collaboratively with local authorities to develop improved homelessness data and outcomes that can measure progress in reducing rough sleeping and homelessness.Alongside our recent overhaul of homelessness statistics, through H-CLIC, to collect detailed case level information about every homelessness application we are also establishing local data pilots which will seek to improve the data collected by a wide range of services which people who sleep rough accessThe Government is committed to reducing homelessness and ending rough sleeping. No one should ever have to sleep rough. That is why we published the cross-government Rough Sleeping Strategy. This sets out an ambitious £100 million package to help people who sleep rough now, but also puts in place the structures that will end rough sleeping once and for all. The Government has now committed over £1.2 billion to tackle homelessness and rough sleeping over the spending review period. In its first year, the Rough Sleeping Initiative provided over 1,750 new bed spaces and 500 staff.

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government: Sick Leave

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many and what proportion of officials in his Department took sick leave for reasons relating to stress in the last 12 months; what proportion that leave was of total sick leave taken in his Department; and what the cost was to his Department of officials taking sick leave over that period.

Jake Berry: A total of 26 employees in the department were absent due to stress-related reasons in the period 1 April 2018 to 31 March 2019 and this represented less than 1 per cent of the total workforce. The proportion of sickness absence owing to stress related reasons was 6 per cent of all sickness absence for the department for the same period.The estimated cost to the department between 1 April 2018 to 31 March 2019 for employees taking sickness absence, is estimated at a total of £1.1 million.The department is committed to the health and wellbeing of all our staff, including helping them to manage stress in the workplace. It has a range of guidance and services in place to support staff including a contracted Employee Assistance Programme (Help), an Occupational Health referral service to support staff throughout their absence and return to work, and a listening and support service through a Mental Health Ambassador Network.The department offers a proactive model of Health and wellbeing support to staff, including those engaged in emotionally challenging work, ensuring that they are provided with interventions that are tailored to both specific groups and individuals.

Chemical Weapons: Wiltshire

Sir Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will place in the Library the findings of the inquiry by the Wiltshire Local Resilience Forum into exposure to nerve agents following the incidents in Salisbury and Amesbury in 2018; and if he will make statement.

Mrs Heather Wheeler: The Wiltshire & Swindon Local Resilience Forum debrief report into the Salisbury and Amesbury nerve agent incidents in 2018 cannot be placed into the Library of the House of Commons because it contains sensitive information which cannot be released into the public domain.

Oxford-Cambridge Arc

Anneliese Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many civil servants are working on the Oxford-Cambridge Arc plans; and in which government departments those civil servants are based.

Kit Malthouse: The full time equivalent number of civil servants developing policy on the Oxford to Cambridge Arc is 35. This number including non-departmental public bodies comprises: 20 at Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government; 9 at Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs; 3 at Department for Transport; 1 at Cabinet Office; 1 at Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy and 1 at HM Treasury.

Private Rented Housing: Evictions

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, when he plans to publish the consultation for reforms to the legislative framework on private tenancies in England under Section 21 of the Housing Act 1988.

Mrs Heather Wheeler: We expect to consult on our reforms over the summer. We want to collaborate with landlords and tenants to ensure these reforms are introduced effectively.

Coastal Areas: Employment

Melanie Onn: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to increase sustainable employment opportunities in coastal communities.

Melanie Onn: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to ensure the coastal communities fund creates sustainable employment opportunities in coastal towns.

Mrs Heather Wheeler: The Government is working in partnership with places to develop Local Industrial Strategies by Spring 2020 to ensure that all places, including coastal communities, can contribute to and benefit from growth and sustainable job creation through employment and skills policies.Local Growth Deals are also providing coastal Local Enterprise Partnerships with funding to promote economic growth and job creation in their coastal communities.Under the Coastal Communities Fund we have invested over £218 million in 354 projects across the UK since 2012. This is helping to create or safeguard over 18,000 UK jobs and generate £363 million in new visitor spend. We are undertaking an evaluation of the projects funded to date to review their effectiveness in delivering sustainable economic growth and jobs to inform any future funding rounds.The Town Deal for Greater Grimsby, announced in July 2018, is helping to drive economic growth and employment creation in the area. This includes investment in the regeneration of Grimsby town centre and Cleethorpes, infrastructure to unlock strategic employment sites, and investment in training facilities to improve specialist skills and employment opportunities.

Buildings: Insulation

Mr Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether the funding announced for the replacement of Aluminium Composite Cladding will cover the costs of maintaining a waking watch until that cladding is removed.

Kit Malthouse: The private sector remediation fund will cover reasonable costs associated with the removal and replacement of unsafe Aluminium Cladding Material cladding systems only.

Ministry of Defence

Armed Forces: Hexavalent Chromium

Martin Docherty-Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the Herald article entitled MoD stops using toxic chromium paint on tanks published on 17 April 2019, (a) when and (b) by whom the decision was taken to discontinue the use of paints containing hexavalent chromium on military vehicles.

Stuart Andrew: The hexavalent chromate compound used in paints for vehicle servicing was banned in January 2019 under the Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals regulations. Work had been ongoing since 2006 to remove paints containing hexavalent chromate compounds, and the Ministry of Defence implemented this ban for the remaining few uses when it came into force. Updated instructions were provided to personnel and any remaining paints were recalled for safe disposal.

Ministry of Defence: Brexit

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many staff in her Department who were transferred or seconded to work (a) in other departments or (b) on other departmental briefs on preparations for the UK to leave the EU, have since returned to her Department.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The Ministry of Defence has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Electronic Warfare

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent discussions has she had with Home Secretary on the level of the cyber threat facing the UK.

Mark Lancaster: I have regular discussions on cyber threats with colleagues across Government. We take the cyber threat very seriously, and are strengthening our defences against increasingly sophisticated attacks. Our approach to cyber defence includes a wide range of technical, operational and administrative measures.

Armed Forces: Weapons

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps she is taking to help ensure that weapons used by British armed forces are (a) fit for purpose and (b) modern.

Stuart Andrew: As explained in the report on the Modernising Defence Programme published in December 2018, we plan to modernise and transform our Armed Forces by embracing new and innovative technologies to ensure we retain military advantage over potential adversaries and by investing to improve the readiness and availability of defence equipment. We will spend over £186 billion on equipment and support over the decade from April 2018 to March 2028 to ensure that our Armed Forces are fit for the defence and security challenges of the future.

Baltic States: Navy

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many times UK ships have visited the Baltic states as part of Standing NATO Maritime Group One since 2015.

Mark Lancaster: Since 2015 UK Naval ships have visited the Baltic states as part of Standing NATO Maritime Group 1 for six visits and as part of Standing NATO Mine Countermeasures Group 1 for 15 visits.

Challenger Tanks: Repairs and Maintenance

Stephanie Peacock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when her Department plans to make a decision on how many of the Army’s Challenger 2 tanks will be refitted.

Stephanie Peacock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what budget has been allocated for the refit of the Army’s Challenger 2 tanks.

Stephanie Peacock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what plans her Department has to change the number of tanks available to the Army.

Stephanie Peacock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many tanks the Army has had in service in each of the last 20 years.

Stephanie Peacock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment her Department has made of the number of tanks the Army requires to fulfil its operational requirements.

Stuart Andrew: Following outcomes of the 2010 Strategic Defence and Security Review, the British Army currently has 227 Challenger 2 tanks. For current and historical information on the British Army's vehicle fleet size, statistics may be found online either on the gov.uk website through the 'UK armed forces equipment and formations' publication, or on the National Archives website within copies of the 'UK Defence Statistics Compendium.'With regards to the future size of the Army's tank fleet, I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 29 April 2019, to Question 246488 to the right hon. Member for North Durham (Kevan Jones).



Challenger Tanks - Repair and Maintenance
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Ministry of Defence: Per Capita Costs

Stephanie Peacock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much her Department has spent per capita in each region of the UK in each of the last five years for which data is available.

Stuart Andrew: Statistics on Ministry of Defence (MOD) expenditure per person, broken down by region is published in Tables 4 and 5 of the MOD regional expenditure with UK industry and supported employment 2017/18 bulletin, which can be found at the link below:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/mod-regional-expenditure-with-uk-industry-and-supported-employment-201718Data for 2018/19 will be published in January 2020.

Department for Work and Pensions

Social Security Benefits: Wrexham

Ian C. Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the average wait is for mandatory reconsideration of (a) personal independence payment and (b) employment support allowance claims in each of the last three years in Wrexham constituency.

Justin Tomlinson: The requested information can be found below:A) Personal Independence Payment (PIP)Statistics on Mandatory Reconsideration (MR) clearance times for Personal Independence Payment (PIP) claims by parliamentary constituency are planned to be published on 11th June 2019 in accordance with the Code of Practice for Official Statistics. The figures requested will be included within the PIP Official Statistics publication.It should be noted that the Department’s decision makers are, in relation to PIP, now proactively engaging with claimants at the MR stage to ensure that they have all material evidence before they make their decision. Early indications are that this is helping decision makers.B) Employment Support Allowance (ESA)The available information on the average waiting time for MRs of ESA work capability assessments is published and can be found in table 16 here:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/esa-outcomes-of-work-capability-assessments-including-mandatory-reconsiderations-and-appeals-march-2019It is the intention to produce further geographical breakdowns of these statistics in the future.

Department for Work and Pensions: Former Ministers

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much her Department has paid to hon. Members under section 4 of the Ministerial and other Pensions and Salaries Act 1991 since 13 July 2016.

Will Quince: As part of the Government’s transparency agenda, any such payments are published in the departments audited annual accounts, and these can be found on gov.uk Information for the 2016-17 year is published here-https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dwp-annual-report-and-accounts-2016-to-2017  Information for the 2017-18 year is published here.https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dwp-annual-report-and-accounts-2017-to-2018 Updated information on the 2018-19 financial year will be published later this year.

Television: Concessions

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the cost is to the public purse of the provision of free television licences to people over 75 years of age.

Guy Opperman: The cost of providing free TV licences to people aged over 75 years was £655m to the public purse in 2017/18. Cost outturn for 2018/19 has not been published yet, but was forecast to be £468m. This is the first year of the part funding agreement that was set out in the summer budget 2015. The cost is forecast to reduce to £247m in 2019/20 and then nil from 2020/21 when responsibility for the concession will transfer to the BBC in June 2020. Note that all the figures quoted in this response are in nominal terms. DWP publish expenditure and caseload information here:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/benefit-expenditure-and-caseload-tables-2019>

Universal Credit: Bristol South

Karin Smyth: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many UC50 forms were issued by her Department to residents of Bristol South constituency between the  June 2018 and December 2018.

Karin Smyth: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many UC50 forms were returned to her Department by residents of Bristol South constituency between June 2018 and December 2018.

Justin Tomlinson: This information is not readily available at constituency level and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Employment and Support Allowance: Bristol South

Karin Smyth: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many ESA50 forms were issued by her Department to residents of Bristol South constituency between June 2017 and December 2017.

Karin Smyth: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many ESA50 forms were returned to her Department by residents of Bristol South constituency between June 2017 and December 2017.

Justin Tomlinson: The requested information is not readily available to constituency level and to provide it would incur disproportionate costs.

Employment and Support Allowance

Karin Smyth: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many employment and support allowance joint claimant cases there are where both claimants have an underlying entitlement to severe disability premium.

Justin Tomlinson: A person would have to satisfy the Severe Disability Premium (SDP) qualifying conditions to be entitled to it. There are no ‘joint claims’ in income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA(IR)). Where a couple wishes to claim ESA(IR), they will need to decide which of them will be the ‘lead’ claimant, and claim on their partner’s behalf.Only the lead claimant has entitlement to a SDP. In couple cases, the SDP is not payable if the lead claimant does not meet the qualifying conditions, even if their partner does. The SDP is payable at the single rate where only the lead claimant meets the qualifying conditions. The couple rate is payable where both members of the couple meet the qualifying conditions – but only the lead claimant is entitled to it.In November 2018 there were 9,500 live couple cases of ESA(IR) where the lead claimant was in receipt of a SDP at the couple rate.

Employment and Support Allowance

Karin Smyth: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, since January 2019 how many universal credit claimants who had an underlying entitlement to severe disability premium (SDP) have not been able to claim employment and support allowance (ESA) following the death of a partner who was the lead claimant in a previous joint ESA claim and who also had entitlement to SDP.

Justin Tomlinson: This information is not readily available and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.Since the introduction of The Universal Credit (Transitional Provisions) (SDP Gateway) Amendment Regulations 2019, which came into force on 16th January 2019, claimants who are entitled, or have been within the last month, to an award of an existing benefit that includes Severe Disability Premium (SDP) have not been able to claim Universal Credit; even if they have experienced a relevant change in their circumstances, such as a partner’s death. These claimants continue to be able to maintain, or make, a claim to legacy benefits.

Universal Credit

Angela Crawley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what support her Department provides for universal credit (a) claimants and (b) intended beneficiaries who are victims of economic abuse arising from provision of a single payment to one family.

Will Quince: DWP is committed to doing all we can do support victims of domestic and economic abuse, including giving split payments when requested, easements in benefit conditionality, and referrals to local support. When an individual suffering from economic abuse requests a split payment, the Department will make split payments available to them. Whilst we are not intending to introduce split payments by default, we respond positively to such requests.Both members of a couple do not need to be present to arrange a split payment and consent is not required from the other partner to authorise a split payment. Claimants can request a split payment during a face to face meeting, a phone call, or online via their journal and do not have to provide evidence of abuse in order to be granted a split payment.If a victim of abuse feels able to flee their relationship, we can implement same-day advances to support them.The Department can take other actions to support those experiencing economic abuse, such as making a managed payment of rent direct to landlords. We also ensure that claimants who disclose abuse are signposted to specialist organisations for support. All work coaches undergo mandatory training regarding how to support vulnerable claimants, including recognising the signs of domestic abuse. We are also looking at what more we can do to ensure that the main carer more often receives the Universal Credit payment direct.

Poverty

Neil Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what progress her Department has made on achieving Sustainable Development Goal 1 to end poverty in all its forms everywhere.

Will Quince: The Department for Work and Pensions is leading work across Government to assess progress against sustainable development goal 1. The Prime Minister has committed the UK to undertaking a Voluntary National Review (VNR) on progress towards the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals Agenda. This will be presented to the UN’s High Level Political Forum in July this year.

Department for Work and Pensions: Brexit

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many staff in her Department who were transferred or seconded to work (a) in other departments or (b) on other departmental briefs on preparations for the UK to leave the EU, have since returned to her Department.

Will Quince: The Department for Work and Pensions have transferred/assigned 127 volunteers to other departments to support EU Exit related work, to date 125 have returned. The remaining 2 volunteers will continue to support another department with EU Policy related activity until June/July 2019.

Radiation Exposure

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the EU Directive 96/29/Euratom on safety standards relating to ionizing radiation, whether these is a national register of all persons potentially exposed to ionizing radiation.

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the EU Directive 96/29/Euratom on safety standards relating to ionizing radiation, how the national register of persons potentially exposed to ionizing radiation can be accessed; and whether that register includes service personnel who have taken part in nuclear testing.

Justin Tomlinson: The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) holds a national dose register of classified radiation workers known as the Central Index of Dosage Information (CIDI). This register is maintained in accordance with the Council Directive 2013/59 Euratom, replacing earlier directives, including 96/29/Euratom. The definition of a classified radiation worker is a person who works with ionising radiation and who could be exposed to higher levels of ionising radiation during normal work and also under certain accident conditions. It is designated Approved Dosimetry Services (ADS’s), approved by HSE, that submit this radiation exposure information annually to CIDI.The CIDI is only accessible by three authorised HSE personnel. Only ADS’s may request information for medical surveillance purposes (e.g. if a classified worker moves employer) and these requests are considered on a case-by-case basis. Only authorised persons within an ADS are able to submit annual returns to the CIDI database via a secure password protected portal and cannot access data held within the database itself.Atomic Nuclear weapons testing by the UK took place before the establishment of CIDI. Therefore, CIDI does not contain any radiation exposure data for service personnel who may have been exposed to ionising radiation as a result of nuclear testing at the time.

Radiation Exposure

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the EU Directive 96/29/Euratom on safety standards relating to ionizing radiation, whether  all persons potentially exposed to ionizing radiation are receiving independent examination for genetic damage as defined by the number of aberrant cells shown by translocation within chromosomes.

Justin Tomlinson: A classified radiation worker is a person who works with ionising radiation and who could be exposed to higher levels of ionising radiation during normal work and also under certain accident conditions. Before a person can be designated as a classified radiation worker they must be certified as fit to work with ionising radiation by an independent Appointed Doctor. The classified person must then undergo an annual medical review. Neither the pre-classification medical examination nor the annual medical review includes specific checks for genetic damage.

Radiation Exposure

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the EU Directive 96/29/Euratom on safety standards relating to ionizing radiation, whether all those persons potentially exposed to ionizing radiation are receiving regular medical screening by specialists in radiation medicine.

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the EU Directive 96/29/Euratom on safety standards relating to ionizing radiation, whether (a) former armed service personnel involved in nuclear testing and (b) all those persons potentially exposed to ionizing radiation are receiving medical screening by specialists in radiation medicine independent of the Ministry of Defence.

Justin Tomlinson: Medical surveillance of classified radiation workers, as required by the Ionising Radiation Regulations 2017 (IRR 17), is an assessment of an individual’s medical fitness to work with ionising radiation. A classified radiation worker is a person who works with ionising radiation who could be exposed to higher levels of ionising radiation levels under both normal work and accident conditions. This assessment is performed by a doctor appointed by the Health and Safety Executive. Appointed Doctors have training in occupational medicine and have received additional training in the relevant aspects of the nature and effects of ionising radiation. Medical surveillance should occur prior to being classified and every 12 months thereafter, unless the doctor specifies a shorter review period. Special Medical surveillance by an Appointed Doctor must be arranged for any employee who has received, or is suspected to have received, an overexposure to ionising radiation, whether or not they are a classified person. The extent and nature of this will depend upon the circumstances of each individual case. The employer decides which Appointed Doctor(s) they will use to carry out medical surveillance. Whether or not the Appointed Doctor is an employee of that organisation, or independent of it, is a matter for the employer to decide upon. In the context of IRR 17, former armed services personnel involved in nuclear testing would be considered in the same way as any other workers exposed to ionising radiation in respect of the need for either medical surveillance or special medical surveillance.

Radiation Exposure

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the EU Directive 96/29/Euratom on safety standards relating to ionizing radiation, whether the Government is funding the implementation of the guidelines set out in that directive.

Justin Tomlinson: The Basic Safety Standards for protection against dangers arising from exposure to ionising radiation Directive (2013/59/EURATOM), or the BSSD as it is known, updates 96/29/Euratom, and covers occupational, public, and medical exposures to ionising radiation, with several government departments and regulators responsible for updating regulations to ensure effective transposition. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) implemented the occupational exposure aspects of the BSSD and brought in the required new standards in the Ionising Radiation Regulations 2017 (IRR17). The Radiation (Emergency Preparedness and Public Information) Regulations 2019 (REPPIR), which address public exposures, have been updated and are due to come into force on 22 May 2019. HSE and the Office for Nuclear Regulation have enforcement responsibility. The amended medical requirements have been implemented by the Ionising Radiation (Medical Exposure) Regulations 2017 (as amended) and are enforced by the relevant enforcing authority in England, Scotland and Wales.

Universal Credit

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what changes have been made to the burden of proof required to prove eligibility for welfare support for (a) EU nationals and (b) non-EU nationals following the introduction of universal credit.

Alok Sharma: Holding answer received on 20 May 2019



No changes have been made to the burden of proof required to demonstrate eligibility for Universal Credit. In 2015, amendments to Universal Credit regulations brought the eligibility criteria to access Universal Credit more closely into line with EU regulations. The Department publishes Advice for Decision Makers on gov.uk, which is updated periodically.

Novartis: North East Lincolnshire

Melanie Onn: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she is taking to support people affected by the potential closure of the Novartis plant in North East Lincolnshire.

Alok Sharma: Holding answer received on 20 May 2019



DWP offer a Rapid Response Service (RRS). This is a redundancy service designed to give support and advice to employers and their employees when faced with the prospect of redundancy. It is coordinated nationally by the National Employer and Partnership Team (NEPT) and is managed by Jobcentre Plus. Each Jobcentre Plus district deploy resources according to the situation and the requirements of the workforce. This service is available to be deployed in Grimsby and surrounding area should Novartis require support from Jobcentre Plus. The RRS is delivered in partnership with a range of national and local partners, including National Careers Service and local service providers. The range of support available from Jobcentre Plus and partners may include: Information advice and guidance.Connecting people to jobs in the labour market.Help with job search including CV writing, interview skills, where to find jobs and how to apply for them.Help to identify transferable skills and skills gaps (linked to the local labour market).Training to update skills, learn new ones and gain industry recognised certification that will improve employability.Help to overcome barriers to attending training or securing a job or  self-employment such as child care costs, necessary tools, work clothes, travel costs etc.On-site presentations to those affected.Jobs Fairs and Job Clubs where appropriate.

Working Links

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what discussions officials in her Department have had with their counterparts in the Ministry of Justice on the Working Links: Ministerial direction correspondence published on 8 May 2019; and if she will introduce similar financial protections to her Department’s Working Links subcontractors.

Will Quince: DWP Commercial have had discussions recently with MOJ colleagues to clarify the MOJ Ministerial direction correspondence published on 8 May 2019.The MOJ are making payments to a small number of Permitted Sub Contractors on the basis of a) the unique nature of their services (statutory services) and b) the structure of their current market in the context of the transformation announced yesterday.The Department considered the impact on stakeholders and sub-contractors, based on the Administrator’s statement of affairs at the point of Working Links going into administration, and has worked with both the Administrator and Fedcap, who have taken over a number of Working Links contracts, to minimise the impact on those supply chain partners owed monies by Working Links at the point of administration.

Universal Credit

Margaret Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate her Department has made of the effect of the 5-week wait for the first payment of universal credit on (a) a claimant’s level of (i) debt and (ii) rent arrears and (b) the finances of disabled claimants.

Alok Sharma: No one has to wait 5 weeks for their first payment of Universal Credit. Advances are available from the first day of a valid claim, if required, to support claimants.

Universal Credit

Margaret Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what proportion of universal credit payments have been subject to a deduction as a result of a claimant’s historic debt to (a) her Department and (b) HM Treasury in the latest month for which data is available.

Alok Sharma: Internal Management information shows that in April 2019, 280,000 payments of Universal Credit (UC) had a deduction applied to repay a non UC debt owed to the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), and 340,000 payments of UC had a deduction applied to repay a Tax Credit debt (these figures have been rounded to the nearest 10,000). Some payments of UC may have had a deduction for both a non UC debt and a Tax Credit debt. These claimants would appear in both totals, therefore the figures cannot be summed. In line with the deductions policy in UC, for both types of debt, the deductions would not usually exceed the maximum amounts, which are set out legislation. Only in cases where last resort deductions are applied can these rates be exceeded. DWP ensures that appropriate safeguards are in place to protect claimants who have deductions from their benefit to repay overpayments. If a claimant is struggling they can contact DWP’s Debt Management to discuss lowering their repayment rate. It is also worth noting that it is not possible to provide this as a proportion at April 2019, as the latest UC caseload data is only available as of 14 February 19. However, for context, as of 14 February 19, 1.4m households received payments of UC. N.B. This data on deductions has been sourced from internal management information. It should therefore not be compared to any other similar data subsequently released by the DWP.

Universal Credit

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much the Government has spent on promoting and advertising universal credit since it was introduced.

Alok Sharma: The Department provides services to around 22 million people and, as with other government departments, it has a responsibility to communicate policy and essential information to customers and other key audiences. The ‘Opening Up Work’ campaign aims to increase understanding of how Universal Credit removes barriers to work and career progression, and to ensure people can access information to help people make a claim. The Department has dedicated funds to this campaign to make sure claimants know how to access the support that they need. Advertising spend to date from 2016-17 onwards on the Universal Credit Opening Up Work campaign is around £6.3 million.

Universal Credit: Domestic Abuse

Danielle Rowley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 16 May 2019 to Question 253698 on Universal Credit: Domestic Abuse, what progress has been made on establishing the practicalities of delivering separate payments in Scotland.

Will Quince: The development of a detailed policy to split payments of Universal Credit in Scotland is something for the Scottish Government to determine. Any policy has to be capable of implementation and as a consequence must fit with the existing architecture of the system if it is not to undermine system stability for all claimants across Great Britain. Scottish Government final proposals have not yet been shared with the Government. We welcome the great care Scottish Government is taking with this. When a comprehensive set of proposals has been decided upon by the Scottish Government, we will provide advice on timing and implementation dates, with regard to the wider plan to deliver Universal Credit and the relative priorities of split payment proposals against other demands. Officials from both Governments continue to explore these issues together to see if a workable solution to the many issues raised can be found.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Fisheries: Quotas

George Eustice: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether the EU Withdrawal Agreement enables the UK to invoke Hague Preference during the implementation period.

Mr Robert Goodwill: Article 130(4) of the Withdrawal Agreement provides for the relative stability keys for the allocation of fishing opportunities to be maintained during the implementation period. This provision is intended to ensure that the UK’s share of quota cannot be reduced and that the UK will continue to be able to invoke Hague Preference during the implementation period.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Former Ministers

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much his Department has paid to hon. Members under section 4 of the Ministerial and other Pensions and Salaries Act 1991 since 13 July 2016.

Mr Robert Goodwill: Any such payments are published in the department’s audited annual accounts, and these accounts can be found on GOV.UK.

Livestock: Animal Welfare

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the potential merits of a ban on all caged farming.

David Rutley: The Government shares the public’s high regard for animal welfare and the welfare of our farmed livestock in all systems is protected by comprehensive and robust legislation. This is backed up by statutory species specific welfare codes, which encourage high standards of husbandry and which keepers are required by law to have access to and be familiar with. Defra’s Animal and Plant Health Agency inspectors and local authorities conduct inspections on farms to check that the animal welfare standards are being met. Whatever the system of production, the most important factor in determining animal welfare is good stockmanship and the correct application of husbandry standards. This reflects the advice of the Farm Animal Welfare Committee. We have already banned cages or close confinement systems where there is clear scientific evidence that they are detrimental to animal health and welfare. For example, we banned the keeping of sows in close confinement stalls in the UK in 1999, and the use of conventional (‘battery’) cages for laying hens in 2012.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Brexit

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many staff in his Department who were transferred or seconded to work (a) in other departments or (b) on other departmental briefs on preparations for the UK to leave the EU, have since returned to his Department.

David Rutley: EU departure is an all-of-Government operation. The Department for Exiting the European Union is responsible for overseeing negotiations to leave the EU and establishing the future relationship between the UK and EU. The Department for International Trade works to secure UK and global prosperity by promoting and financing international trade and investment, and championing free trade.Departments continually review workforce plans and reprioritise and assess changing needs, which includes identification and cessation of non-priority work where appropriate. We have accelerated our plans, and at the same time, the Civil Service as a whole is working to ensure that exit implementation is carried out to a high standard without impacting public service delivery across the whole of Government.For Defra, information relating to all staff who have been transferred or loaned to another department since June 2016 is provided below. We are not able to confirm how many of these were related to exit roles as this information is not held.We have interpreted the second part of the question relating to ‘other departmental briefs’ as those working on projects with or in other departments through any informal arrangement that is not a formal loan or secondment. Based on this interpretation, Defra does not hold this data and is unable to provide this information.The information is from June 2016 – present. Total number of staff transferred to another Government department (OGD) between June 16 – March 19445Number of staff transferred to an OGD who have since returned to Defra0Total number of staff loaned to an OGD between June 19 – March 19118*Number of staff loaned to an OGD who have since returned to Defra14 *This figure includes 30 loans where the end dates are between May 2019 and January 2022, and therefore we would not expect staff to have returned to Defra. All loans are generally for a period of two years. We do not use the term ‘secondment’ to refer to Civil Servants moving between departments, instead we use the term ‘loan’. Therefore we have interpreted this question to refer to those who have moved to other departments on loans.

Countryside Stewardship Scheme

David Warburton: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when the Rural Payments Agency will deliver outstanding countryside stewardship payments in full.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The Rural Payments Agency (RPA) took on responsibility for Countryside Stewardship and Environmental Stewardship in October 2018, and is simplifying the administration of the schemes as far as possible under the current EU system by streamlining processes, making changes to IT systems and boosting the workforce to speed up processing. All eligible Countryside Stewardship 2016 and 2017 claims have received a payment apart from exceptional cases, for example, those that cannot be paid for legal reasons such as probate. Any claim that was not paid a 2018 advance payment by the end of March was issued a bridging payment in early April. The RPA is on track to meet its commitment to complete 95% of 2018 final payments on claims by the end of July.

Farmers: Training

David Warburton: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans his Department has to provide support for on-going training for young farmers who have entered the farming industry, to help ensure the sustainability of that workforce.

Mr Robert Goodwill: It is a key priority of this Government to enable an innovative, productive and competitive agricultural sector, which invests in its people and skills. The Government is working with industry bodies to improve access to the skills and training required within the industry. The Food and Drink Sector Council identified skills as one of its first priorities. The Council has established a Workforce and Skills Group to develop a long-term action plan for a world-class workforce for all sectors of the food chain, including agriculture.

Animal Welfare

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make it his policy to (a) ensure local authorities have a duty to provide access to a fully trained Animal Welfare Inspector with responsibility for enforcement of the Animal Welfare Act 2006 and (b) provide additional funding for that role; what estimate he has made of the number of local authorities that  do not employ an Animal Welfare Inspector; and if he will make a statement.

David Rutley: Under the Animal Welfare Act 2006, local authorities, the Animal & Plant Health Agency and the police all have powers of entry to inspect complaints of suspected animal cruelty and take out prosecutions where necessary. Local authorities must be able to make decisions based on local needs and resource priorities and the arrangements that work best for them. It is for local authorities to determine how to prioritise their resources. We do not hold data centrally on the number of inspectors appointed under the Act. Local authorities will often work in close partnership with others, such as the RSPCA, to ensure that the welfare of animals is protected. The Animal Welfare Act 2006 allows anyone to be able to investigate allegations of animal neglect and if necessary take forward a prosecution and it is on this basis that the RSPCA have been enforcing animal welfare legislation in this country. Although they have no specific powers under the 2006 Act, the RSPCA do investigate allegations of cruelty and successfully prosecute 800 to 1,000 people each year.

Farmers: Suicide

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to suicides in the farming sector, what steps he is taking to monitor levels of distress in that sector.

Mr Robert Goodwill: Defra takes the issue of farmers and agricultural workers’ wellbeing very seriously. I am aware that rates of suicide are higher across the agricultural sector generally than they are for the general population. I know that they often have a solitary lifestyle, it is hard work and their businesses are subject to unpredictable factors such as the weather. As part of the Future Farming programme we are looking at the impact of policies on wellbeing, and we are also working with partners to foster personal and business resilience. As part of our on-going work using data on the farming sector, we monitor the published ONS statistics on suicides by employment group. As well as headline mortality numbers, we keep under review the issues that may affect broader experiences of positive and negative wellbeing. Officials meet regularly with farming and rural charities to hear first-hand about resilience in the farming sector. This provides an indication of how farmers and farm workers are responding to any pressures affecting the sector. Government launched its first ever Loneliness Strategy in October 2018. One of Defra’s commitments is to hold regular stakeholder roundtables to tackle the issues of loneliness and isolation in rural areas. The next roundtable, to be chaired by Lord Gardiner, is being held on 11 June 2019. Defra also provides financial support through an annual grant of £1.7 million to Action with Communities in Rural England (ACRE), whose network of 38 rural community councils work on housing and transport issues that we know can affect farming communities. Defra works closely with the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) on this issue. The National Suicide Prevention Strategy highlights the higher risk of suicide experienced by certain occupational groups, and this includes agricultural occupations. Through the Strategy, DHSC has ensured that every local authority has a suicide prevention plan in place to implement tailored approaches to reducing suicides based on the needs and demographics of local communities. In October 2018, the Prime Minister announced the first Minister for Suicide Prevention, and she recently met the Farming Community Network to understand better the issues facing farmers. It is important that farmers are aware of the people they can turn to if they are going through difficult times. In particular, the farming charities – the Farming Community Network, the Royal Agricultural Benevolent Institution and the Addington Fund – all do a brilliant job in supporting farmers and their families. The National Farmers Union also has a regional network of advisers who can provide support.

Dangerous Dogs

Mr Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking against dog owners whose dogs have attacked (a) other dogs and (b) people; and if he will make a statement.

David Rutley: The Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 makes it an offence to allow a dog, of any breed or type, to be dangerously out of control. This includes instances where dogs attack other animals including dogs, as well as people. We have discussed this application of the 1991 Act with the police.

Dogs: Imports

Alex Norris: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many dogs were imported (a) in total and (b) from each country of origin using the Balai Directive in 2018.

David Rutley: The numbers of dogs that were imported in total and from each country of origin using the Balai Directive in 2018 were as follows: The total number of dogs imported in 2018 was 20,845. The breakdown of this figure by country is as follows:  Country Of OriginDogsAustria10Belgium4Bulgaria61Croatia149Cyprus3156Czech Republic115Estonia2Finland2France19Germany4Greece125Hungary519Ireland (Rep. of)4896Italy24Latvia2Lithuania9Malta6Netherlands19Poland420Portugal2Romania7461Slovakia9Slovenia2Spain3816Sweden8Switzerland2UK3Total20,845  The data for commercial imports covers the number of animals imported into the UK, and was extracted from TRACES through the Qlikview facility by searching for imports of dogs and their commodity codes in 2018 to the UK by country of origin. These figures cover all commercially imported dogs, including commercial puppies, rescue dogs, research dogs and unaccompanied pets. The information that the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) has provided is a true reflection of the information that is held. APHA cannot guarantee the accuracy of this data, as the information has been entered into TRACES by a third party.

Dogs: Imports

Alex Norris: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many dogs were imported (a) in total and (b) from each country of origin via the Pet Travel Scheme in 2018.

David Rutley: 194,712 dogs were imported in total via the Pet Travel Scheme in 2018. The Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) is unable to provide a breakdown of the number of dogs travelling under the scheme by country as it does not hold that information. The data regarding the Pet Travel Scheme is taken from APHA’s system for recording pets’ throughput based on information provided by checkers employed by approved carriers of pet animals. The information that APHA has provided is a true reflection of the information that is held. APHA cannot guarantee the accuracy of this data, as it can only rely on the information that has been entered into the pets’ returns by a third party.

Assistance Animals

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether people travelling with assistance dogs to the EU will face disruption at EU borders at (a) train stations, (b) ports and (c) airports in the event of the UK leaving the EU without a deal.

David Rutley: The Government understands that assistance dog users, who have become familiar with the benefits of using the EU Pet Travel Scheme to travel to EU Member States, are concerned about the changes that could take place when the UK leaves the EU. In any exit scenario owners of assistance dogs from the UK will still be able to travel to the EU with their animals. After exit we want owners of assistance dogs to be able to take their animals to the EU with the minimum of disruption. If the UK leaves the EU without a deal and becomes an unlisted third country under the EU Pet Travel Scheme, assistance dogs would need to be microchipped and vaccinated against rabies, as now, but would also need to undergo a blood titre test to demonstrate that their rabies vaccination has been effective. On 25 March 2019 Defra issued updated guidance on pet travel to Europe after Brexit, which can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/pet-travel-to-europe-after-brexit. This advises of the contingency planning owners should consider to make sure their animals can travel to the EU in the scenario that the UK is not granted listed third country status under EU Pet Travel Scheme rules. The guidance advises owners to contact their vet at least four months before travelling to get the latest advice. Defra has submitted an application for the UK to become a listed country under the EU pet travel regulations. Should the UK become a Part 1 listed country, there would be little change to the current arrangements, with only minor changes needed for documentation and, in most cases, no change for owners from what they currently need to do in terms of their animal’s health preparation. It is now for the EU Commission to consider our application for listed status. We continue to work with assistance dog organisations to share the latest advice and guidance (in accessible formats) with their members. We will also work with carriers to ensure that assistance dog owners have the correct health preparation and documentation to enable them to enter the EU. When further information becomes available it will be published on GOV.UK. Email alerts on pet travel can be subscribed to at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications. We will also ensure that vets who issue pet travel documents have the most up to date information.

Inland Waterways: Kent

Rosie Duffield: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 19 February 2019 to Question 220196 on Inland waterways, whether a public right of navigation is in place along the Kentish Stour between Canterbury and Fordwich.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: There is no navigation authority with jurisdiction over the Kentish Stour between Canterbury and Fordwich. Rights of navigation in this stretch are subject to navigation agreements between riparian landowners and those wishing to navigate the waterway. The Department does not hold information on individual navigation agreements.

Home Office

Police: Cameras

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what proportion of body cameras worn by police forces across the UK were switched on in the latest period for which figures are available.

Mr Nick Hurd: The information requested is not held centrally by the Home Office.

Police: Cameras

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment he has made of the efficacy of body cameras worn by police forces.

Mr Nick Hurd: The procurement and deployment of body worn video (BWV) cameras is a decision for police forces.The Home Office has not commissioned its own assessment of its effectiveness, although previous research and studies have indicated its use leads to a reduction in complaints, improvement in behaviour and positive criminal justice outcomes.

Counter-terrorism: Expenditure

Naz Shah: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the budget was for Prevent in each of the last five years.

Mr Ben Wallace: This Government is committed to the Prevent programme. Prevent’s budget for the last five years was:2014/15 - £26.7m2015/16 - £42.8m2016/17 - £37.7m2017/18 - £45.5m2018/19 - £47.3m Prevent is working and is successful. Prevent has made a significant impact in safeguarding people being drawn into terrorism.

Fire and Rescue Services: Occupational Health

Karen Lee: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of health screening procedures to protect firefighters from carcinogen-related diseases.

Karen Lee: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment he has made of the ability of firefighter health screening to detect cancers at an early stage.

Karen Lee: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the regularity of blood tests for firefighters.

Karen Lee: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care on the inclusion of effluents and carcinogens in public health checks after large-scale fires.

Mr Nick Hurd: It is the responsibility of individual fire and rescue authorities, as employers, to ensure that health screening and blood tests, suitable for the risks faced, are available to their firefighters. There have been no discussions between the Home Secretary and the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care on the inclusion of effluents and carcinogens in public health checks after large-scale fires.

Motor Vehicles: Insurance

Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether he has made an assessment of the potential effect of the 89 per cent conversion rate of uninsured drivers to insured under operation Tutelage in conjunction with the Motor Insurers' Bureau on police time spent processing individual PNC checks after manually downloading and cross-checking MIDAS hits from ANPR.

Mr Nick Hurd: The Home Office has not assessed Operation Tutelage. How police enforce uninsured driving and deploy resources, including any particular campaigns, is an operational matter for individual Chief Officers of police in conjunction with local policing plans.

Members: Correspondence

Alison Thewliss: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when her Department plans to respond to the enquiry of 21 March 2019 from the hon. Member for Glasgow Central on behalf of her constituent, Ms Sheikh.

Caroline Nokes: The Home Office is required to respond to Members’ correspondence within 20 working days. However, when cases are complex it is not always possible to provide a full reply within that timeframe. Your office will be provided with an update as soon as possible.

Overseas Students: English Language

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 13 May 2019 to Question 249833, what proportion of students (a) passed and (b) failed the English language test with each approved provider in each of the last five years.

Caroline Nokes: The information requested is not held centrally by the Home Office.Individuals may be required to take an English language test for a number of reasons. It is not limited to student applications.

Educational Testing Service

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 13 May 2019 to Question 249832 on Educational Testing Service, what the settlement was of the legal action his Department took against ETS.

Caroline Nokes: I can confirm that a financial settlement was reached with ETS Global BV in early 2018. The terms of this settlement prevent release of further details at this time.

Educational Testing Service: Prosecutions

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 10 May 2019 to Question 249830 on Educational Testing Service: Prosecutions, how many test centres the 25 convicted individuals operated.

Caroline Nokes: Criminal investigations in this area have focused on those who played a key role in facilitating this fraud and not solely those who directly operated test centres.Of the 25 convicted so far, 10 were directly involved in the running of 7 different test centre. The other 15 played key roles such as recruiting students or acting as proxy test takers.

Cannabis

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment he has made of the implications for his Department's policy of the recommendation of the World Health Organisation's Expert Committee on Drug Dependence (ECDD) that cannabis and cannabis resin be deleted from Schedule IV of the 1961 Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs; and whether the Government plans to vote in accordance with the recommendation of the ECDD.

Mr Nick Hurd: The Government are considering the full implications of all the recommendations of World Health Organisation's Expert Committee on Drug Dependence (ECDD) on cannabis and cannabis related-substances.The recommendation to remove cannabis from Schedule IV of the 1961 UN Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs, appears to broadly align with the recent domestic legislative changes on the rescheduling of cannabis-based products for medicinal use.We are however engaging with our international partners, including the WHO ECDD Secretariat and other Member States, so as to fully understand the evidence base and methodology for the recommendations in order to inform our position.

Visas: Overseas Students

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that Tier 4 visa applications are treated equitably in respect of (a) country of application and (b) intended place of study.

Caroline Nokes: Tier 4 visa applications are assessed in accordance with the Immigration Rules. Applicants are treated equitably and must meet the same requirements to qualify for leave under a given Tier 4 route and type of sponsor. Nationals of countries listed in Appendix H are subject to reduced documentary requirements although they must meet the same substantive requirements as other nationals. This list is kept under review and we may add or remove countries and competent authorities based on objective criteria. Applicants intending to study at Tier 4 Visa Pilot Scheme institutions are also subject to reduced documentary requirements.We will keep the visa application process for international students under review, with the aim of improving the customer journey both for students and their sponsoring institutions. This will include reviewing processes for conducting interviews to ensure that these are appropriately focussed and to minimise any inconvenience for applicants.

Police Custody

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many custody suites there were in England and Wales in each year since 2010.

Mr Nick Hurd: The Home Office does not hold this information. Decisions about the provision of police station custody suites are an operational matter for Chief Constables working with democratically accountable Police and Crime Commissioners.

Immigration: Applications

Stephanie Peacock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the average time taken was in days for decisions to be made on Indefinite Leave to Remain applications in the UK in each of the last five years.

Stephanie Peacock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the average time taken was in days for decisions to be made on Indefinite Leave to Remain applications in Barnsley in each of the last five years.

Stephanie Peacock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the average time taken was in days for decisions to be made on Indefinite Leave to Remain applications in South Yorkshire in each of the last five years.

Stephanie Peacock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many and what proportion of Indefinite Leave to Remain applications made in each of the last five years in the UK took longer than (a) six months, (b) one year, and (c) two years for a decision to be made.

Caroline Nokes: We do not publish this specific data for all applications for Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR), however the vast majority of such cases are dealt with within the service standard of six months (which applies to straightforward applications, where the customer has met all their obligations). Where an application is defined as non-straightforward, due to complexity, the customer will be written to within the normal processing time to explain why it will not be decided within the normal standard, and to explain what will happen next.The published statistics on leave to remain applications that have been processed within service standard can be found in the migration transparency data releasehttps://www.gov.uk/government/publications/in-country-migration-data-february-2019 at: InC_02: Percentage of In-Country visa applications, for each Route, processed within Service Standards

Scotland Office

Scotland Office: Former Ministers

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, how much his Department has paid to hon. Members under section 4 of the Ministerial and other Pensions and Salaries Act 1991 since 13 July 2016.

David Mundell: Any such payments are published in the Department’s audited annual accounts, and these accounts can be found on gov.uk.

Scotland Office: Brexit

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, how many staff in his Department who were transferred or seconded to work (a) in other departments or (b) on other departmental briefs on preparations for the UK to leave the EU, have since returned to his Department.

David Mundell: The Office of The Secretary of State for Scotland does not employ staff directly. All staff that join, do so on assignment, loan or secondment from other government bodies, who remain the employers. EU Exit is an all-of-government operation. The Department for Exiting the European Union is responsible for overseeing negotiations to leave the EU and establishing the future relationship between the UK and EU. The Department for International trade works to secure UK and global prosperity by promoting and financing international trade and investment, and championing free trade. Departments continually review workforce plans, reprioritise and assess changing needs, which includes identification and cessation of non-priority work where appropriate. We have accelerated our plans, and at the same time, the Civil Service as a whole is working to ensure that EU Exit Implementation is carried out to high quality without impacting public service delivery across the whole of government.

Scotland Office: Sick Leave

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, how many and what proportion of officials in his Department took sick leave for reasons relating to stress in the last 12 months; what proportion that leave was of total sick leave taken in his Department; and what the cost was to his Department of officials taking sick leave over that period.

David Mundell: The Office of the Secretary of State for Scotland does not employ staff directly. All staff that join do so on an assignment, loan or secondment from other government departments, who remain the employers. These Departments have their own absence management policies and recording processes that apply to those of their staff working in the office. Detailed reasons for absence attributable to stress and other sickness absence is not retained by the Office of the Secretary of State for Scotland.The office takes sickness absence and the general wellbeing of staff very seriously and works alongside the employing departments to ensure that anyone who is experiencing issues receives support and assistance.

Cabinet Office

National Security Council: Disclosure of Information

Jon Trickett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what discussions the Cabinet Secretary has had with the representatives of the Metropolitan police on the alleged leak of information from a meeting of the National Security Council.

Mr David Lidington: The Cabinet Office has cooperated fully on the leak of information from the NSC with the Metropolitan Police, who are operationally independent of Government. As made clear in his statement of the 4th May Assistant Commissioner Neil Basu stated that he had ‘spoken to the Cabinet Office’ and that he was ‘satisfied that the disclosure did not amount to a criminal offence… no crime has been committed and this is not a matter for the police’

Huawei: 5G

Jo Platt: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 14 May 2019 to Question 252605 on Huawei: 5G, and with reference to the February 2019 blog by the technical director of the National Cyber Security Centre on Huawei, whether the National Cyber Security Centre monitors the number of UK telecoms operators that utilise HCSEC advice and guidance.

Mr David Lidington: High risk vendors are not in our most sensitive networks. On telecoms CNI, the Communications Act 2003 places an obligation on Telecoms operators to ensure that they have 'appropriate measures' in place to manage the security and resilience of the network. Ofcom are responsible for ensuring that operators meet their obligations under the Communications Act. In addition, the Huawei Cyber Security Evaluation Centre (HCSEC) was established in 2010 as part of a wide mitigation strategy to minimise risk to the UK telecoms critical national infrastructure. The HCSEC Oversight Board’s reports are publicly available and all telecommunications operators have access to its information. The latest Oversight Board report states that in 2018, several hundred vulnerabilities and issues were reported by HCSEC to UK operators. This information is expected to be fed into the operator’s corporate risk management processes. As I said in my Answer of 14 May, it is the responsibility of operators to ensure the security and resilience of their networks.

5G

Jo Platt: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what vetting and reliability testing the (a) National Cyber Security Centre and (b) Huawei Cyber Security Evaluation Centre has conducted on telecoms equipment destined for UK 5G infrastructure.

Mr David Lidington: The National Cyber Security Centre is focused on the security of equipment deployed in current UK networks, none of which are currently making operational use of 5G equipment. Similarly, the Huawei Cyber Security Evaluation Centre conducts security assessments of Huawei products deployed in current UK telecoms networks.

Cabinet Office: Public Appointments

Jon Trickett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, for what reasons his Department determined that hiring a principal cyber security risk consultant was necessary.

Oliver Dowden: The Government Digital Service (GDS) Information Assurance (IA) Team focuses on risks to the digital services that GDS builds and uses, as well as the data those services handle. GDS and Cabinet Office require specialist security support in the building and running of our own digital products and internal operations. This role will provide subject matter expertise for cyber and information security risk assessment.

Cabinet Office: Public Appointments

Jon Trickett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, who the incoming Principal Cyber Security Risk Consultant will report to within the Cabinet Office.

Oliver Dowden: The post holder will report to the Head of Information Services, Government Digital Service.

Cabinet Office: Cybercrime

Jon Trickett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many members of staff in his Department work on cyber security issues.

Mr David Lidington: I shall write to the honourable member with a breakdown and place a copy in the Library of both Houses ahead of Whitsun Recess.

Cabinet Office: Public Appointments

Jon Trickett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what relationship the incoming Principal Cyber Security Risk Consultant will have with the National Cyber Security Centre.

Mr David Lidington: There is no direct relationship. This post is focussed on the information and cyber security of the digital services GDS builds, operates and uses. The Government has taken steps to align cyber security programmes across Government, which include the creation of the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC).

Cabinet Office: Public Appointments

Jo Platt: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the Chief Data Officer position in his Department has been filled; and if he will make a statement.

Oliver Dowden: No. There is close co-operation between DCMS, GDS and ONS on data policy and governance, while strategic oversight for the collection and use of data held by government departments is currently provided by the cross-government Data Advisory Board, chaired by the Chief Executive of the Civil Service.

Government Chief Security Officer: Public Appointments

Jo Platt: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether his Department has recruited to the Government Chief Security Officer role.

Mr David Lidington: Dominic Fortescue was appointed Government Chief Security Officer (GCSO) in December 2018, assuming post in January 2019 following a thorough and competitive recruitment process. As GCSO Mr Fortescue is responsible for leadership, oversight, coordination and delivery of protective security across all government departments, their agencies and arms-length bodies.

Cabinet Office: Public Appointments

Jo Platt: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment he has made of the effect of recruitment of a Principal Cyber Security Risk Consultant on the recruitment processes for the (a) Government Chief Security Officer and (b) Chief Data Officer.

Oliver Dowden: The Principal Cyber Security Risk Consultant role is focussed on the information and cyber security of the digital services GDS builds, operates and uses. As such there is no direct effect on the recruitment of a Government Chief Security Officer and a Chief Data Officer.

Developing Countries: Fossil Fuels

Alex Norris: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the findings of the report entitled A False Promise of Prosperity, published by Platform in October of 2018.

Mr David Lidington: The Prosperity Fund has considered the findings of the report; we are confident the Prosperity Fund programmes are consistent with the UK government’s commitments, under the Paris Agreement. Within the portfolio, there are a considerable number of programmes where we are working with partner countries to increase their resilience to climate change, to reduce emissions, and to transition to a sustainable low carbon economy. The Fund’s energy related initiatives do not directly finance oil and gas exploration or production. They aim to help create policy and business environments that improve energy access, strengthen energy markets, encourage investment and promote energy efficiency. In turn this will improve energy security, and enable a faster transition to a cleaner, low carbon economy. This is consistent with the findings of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change in their Special Report on the impacts of global warming of 1.5oC that oil and gas will continue to be an essential part of the global energy mix as we transition to a low carbon economy.

Developing Countries: Fossil Fuels

Alex Norris: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the findings the report entitled A False Promise of Prosperity, published by Platform in October 2018.

Mr David Lidington: The Prosperity Fund has considered the findings of the report; we are confident the Prosperity Fund programmes are consistent with the UK government’s commitments, under the Paris Agreement. Within the portfolio, there are a considerable number of programmes where we are working with partner countries to increase their resilience to climate change, to reduce emissions, and to transition to a sustainable low carbon economy. The Fund’s energy related initiatives do not directly finance oil and gas exploration or production. They aim to help create policy and business environments that improve energy access, strengthen energy markets, encourage investment and promote energy efficiency. In turn this will improve energy security, and enable a faster transition to a cleaner, low carbon economy. This is consistent with the findings of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change in their Special Report on the impacts of global warming of 1.5oC that oil and gas will continue to be an essential part of the global energy mix as we transition to a low carbon economy.

Department for Exiting the European Union

Brexit: Referendums

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what the Government's policy is on a second referendum on EU membership.

James Cleverly: The Government has been clear that it does not support a second referendum. The priority of the Government is to deliver on the result of the first referendum by trying to find a deal that could command majority support in Parliament.

Mobile Phones: Fees and Charges

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, whether mobile roaming charges will be reintroduced in the event of the UK leaving the EU without a deal.

James Cleverly: In the event that we leave the EU without a deal, the costs that EU mobile operators would be able to charge UK operators for providing roaming services would no longer be regulated by the EU. This would mean that surcharge-free roaming when UK consumers travel to the EU, and EU consumers travel to the UK, could no longer be guaranteed. However, the four mobile operators - O2, EE, Three and Vodafone - have all stated they have no current plans to change their approach to mobile roaming for their customers roaming in the EU.

Health Hazards: EU Law

Janet Daby: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, with reference to Directive 2004/37/EC, what steps he will take to maintain protections for workers against exposure to carcinogens or mutagens after the UK leaves the EU.

Mr Robin Walker: The UK has made a commitment not to lower standards below current levels in workers’ rights and the environment. This includes health and safety in the workplace and the control of exposure to carcinogens and mutagens. The UK has a tradition of exceeding EU standards. The Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 has led to the United Kingdom having one of the best records on health and safety at work in the world. The Prime Minister has been clear that we will maintain these high standards as the country leaves the EU.

Brexit: Referendums

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what assessment he has made of recent polls in respect of whether to hold a second referendum on EU membership.

James Cleverly: The Government has been clear that it does not support a second referendum. The priority of the Government is to deliver on the result of the first referendum by trying to find a compromise deal that could command majority support in Parliament.

Brexit

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, whether the Government plans to make it its policy not to leave the EU without a deal.

James Cleverly: It remains Government policy to leave the EU with a deal as soon as possible. We do not want to leave the EU without a deal and it is also clear that there is no Parliamentary majority for pursuing this outcome. However ‘no deal’ remains the legal default on 31 October and we continue to prepare for such a scenario.

Department for International Trade

Department for International Trade: Former Ministers

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, how much his Department has paid to hon. Members under section 4 of the Ministerial and other Pensions and Salaries Act 1991 since 13 July 2016.

George Hollingbery: Any such payments are published in the Department’s audited annual report and accounts, and these accounts can be found on gov.uk.

Trade Agreements: Djibouti

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what progress has been made towards achieving a free trade deal with Djibouti after the UK leaves the EU.

George Hollingbery: The Taxation (Cross-Border Trade) Act 2018 enables the UK to put in place a trade preferences scheme for developing countries that maintains the same level of access as the EU's Generalised Scheme of Preferences. The UK trade preference scheme will grant duty-free, quota-free access to Least Developed Countries, including Djibouti, upholding a target in the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.The UK has signed an Economic Partnership Agreement with Eastern and Southern Africa States (ESA). As Djibouti has not signed the ESA-EU EPA it is not party to the transitioned UK EPA although it is eligible to accede in the future.

Trade Agreements: Serbia

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, whether he has made progress on rolling over the existing EU trade agreement with Serbia.

George Hollingbery: We continue to engage with Serbia on replicating the effects of the existing EU trade agreement. Both the UK and Serbia remain committed to concluding a new partnership, trade & cooperation agreement as soon as possible. We are working together to ensure we are prepared for all possible scenarios. The Government will inform the Parliament as soon as our discussions have concluded.

Trade Agreements: Burkina Faso

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what progress has been made towards negotiating a trade deal with Burkina Faso after the UK leaves the EU.

George Hollingbery: The Taxation (Cross-Border Trade) Act 2018 enables the UK to put in place a trade preferences scheme for developing countries that maintains the same level of access as the EU's Generalised Scheme of Preferences. The UK trade preference scheme will grant duty-free, quota-free access to Least Developed Countries, including Burkina Faso, upholding a target in the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. Currently the trade agreement between the EU and 16 West African States, including Burkina Faso, has not been signed by all of the West African states and is therefore not in force. Should this change, the UK would look to transition the agreement.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

Loneliness

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, how much money from the public purse the Government has spent on delivering the commitments made in the Loneliness Strategy entitled, A connected society: a strategy for tackling loneliness. Click save

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, how much the Government has spent from the public purse on initiatives to tackle loneliness and social isolation in 2018-19. Click save

Mims Davies: The cross-government loneliness strategy, launched in October 2018, contained 60 new commitments from nine government departments. It included a range of new policies as well as threading consideration of loneliness through a wide range of government’s work , such as expanding social prescribing and public messaging on loneliness. Alongside the policy commitments made in the strategy, the Building Connections Fund launched in 2018 totalled £11.5million, made up of government, Big Lottery Fund and Co-op Foundation funding. It funds 126 projects.

House of Commons Commission

Parliamentary Estate: Waste

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the right hon. Member for Carshalton and Wallington, representing the House of Commons Commission, what recent estimate the Commission has made of the amount of food waste produced by the kitchens on the parliamentary estate.

Tom Brake: Holding answer received on 16 May 2019



Management information from Parliament’s waste contractor demonstrates that between April 2018 to April 2019, Parliament generated 235,595 kgs of food waste. This represents a 12% reduction from 2017/18 when 266,749 kgs of food waste was generated. Food waste from prepared dishes in Commons catering outlets is approximately 3% against sales, well below the national industry average (5%).

Parliamentary Estate: Waste Management

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the right hon. Member for Carshalton and Wallington, representing the House of Commons Commission, what steps the Commission is taking to reduce the amount of food waste produced by the kitchens on the parliamentary estate.

Tom Brake: Holding answer received on 16 May 2019



The House of Commons has implemented a variety of initiatives to reduce the amount of food waste. The only food which is disposed of consists of products that are not safe to be consumed, following guidance from, for example, the Catering Services’ Food Safety Policy and in relation to use-by dates.Measures taken to monitor and reduce food waste from our catering venues includes:Menu plans and cycles are used which enables orders to be planned in advance;Most dishes are made fresh in-house, which allows for improvisation if products need to be used up, and enables short life products to be used in smoothies, soups and salads;Stock is regularly counted, and order volumes consider the level of stock-in-hand;Dates are checked regularly on ambient food products and any short life products are issued to the kitchens for immediate use;Many of the high-volume protein items are ordered by unit (rather than weight) which makes portion control more accurate and reduces the likelihood of over ordering;Venue orders are checked by a purchasing team for accuracy, to ensure that orders and volumes are correct and in-line with historic figures;The kitchens make salad items in-house, meaning venues can cook-off and utilise any surplus protein products effectively;Stock is always rotated using ‘first-in, first-out’ principles;Various smart storage methods and materials are used to help prevent premature spoilage;Some products are frozen if not used on the day;Products which show high levels of wastage are changed (for example, some high frequency/low volume lines are now frozen which enables portion control);Any hot food which is re-usable is transferred immediately to where it can be sold (or blast chilled within food safety requirements and used the following day).The Sustainable Restaurant Association has rated the House of Commons as a good practice organisation in respect of food waste.

Palace of Westminster: Industrial Health and Safety

Jo Stevens: To ask the right hon. Member for Carshalton and Wallington, representing the House of Commons Commission, on how many occasions falling debris has been recorded at the Palace of Westminster in the last 12 months.

Tom Brake: The House of Commons Commission has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Prime Minister

Members: Correspondence

Sir Christopher Chope: To ask the Prime Minister, when she plans reply to the letter from the hon. Member for Christchurch, dated 18 February 2019.

Mrs Theresa May: A reply will be sent shortly.